A powerful earthquake measuring magnitude 8.9 hit northern Japan on Friday afternoon, causing extensive destruction to property and lives in the area. The quake struck 20 kilometers deep off the Sanriku coast in Iwate Prefecture at 2:46 p.m. and lasted several minutes. A tsunami caused by the quake struck Kamaishi, Miyako and Yamadamachi prefectures, washing away houses and causing major damage.
The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan on record struck about 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo. It has killed over 350 people so far and the death toll is expected to rise significantly. A state of emergency was declared at a nuclear power plant but no radiation leaks have been reported yet. The magnitude of the quake triggered tsunami warnings across the pacific to New Zealand, Australia, North and South America.
The quake also triggered a massive blaze at an oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, engulfing storage tanks. There were reports of about 20 people injured in Tokyo after the roof of a hall collapsed on to a graduation ceremony. Residents and workers in Tokyo rushed out of apartment buildings and office blocks and gathered in parks and open spaces as aftershocks continued to hit.
Some reports quote Japanese police as saying 200 to 300 bodies have been found in the port city of Sendai. The damage is too extensive for any accurate numbers to surface. The quake, measured at 8.9 by the US Geological Survey, hit at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) at a depth of about 24km.
The Red Cross in Geneva warned that the waves could be higher in some Pacific islands, Reuters news agency said. Coastal areas in the Philippines, and other parts of the Pacific were evacuated ahead of the tsunami’s expected arrival. The first waves, under a meter high, reached Hawaii late Friday. New Zealand however, soon downgraded its alert to a marine threat, meaning only strong and unusual currents were expected.
The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan on record struck about 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo. It has killed over 350 people so far and the death toll is expected to rise significantly. A state of emergency was declared at a nuclear power plant but no radiation leaks have been reported yet. The magnitude of the quake triggered tsunami warnings across the pacific to New Zealand, Australia, North and South America.
The quake also triggered a massive blaze at an oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, engulfing storage tanks. There were reports of about 20 people injured in Tokyo after the roof of a hall collapsed on to a graduation ceremony. Residents and workers in Tokyo rushed out of apartment buildings and office blocks and gathered in parks and open spaces as aftershocks continued to hit.
Some reports quote Japanese police as saying 200 to 300 bodies have been found in the port city of Sendai. The damage is too extensive for any accurate numbers to surface. The quake, measured at 8.9 by the US Geological Survey, hit at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) at a depth of about 24km.
The Red Cross in Geneva warned that the waves could be higher in some Pacific islands, Reuters news agency said. Coastal areas in the Philippines, and other parts of the Pacific were evacuated ahead of the tsunami’s expected arrival. The first waves, under a meter high, reached Hawaii late Friday. New Zealand however, soon downgraded its alert to a marine threat, meaning only strong and unusual currents were expected.
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