TOKYO - Japan was struck by a magnitude-8.8 earthquake off its northeastern coast Friday, triggering a 13-foot (4-meter) tsunami that washed away automobiles and tore away buildings along the coast near the epicenter.
In various locations along Japan’s coast, Television footage showed severe flooding, with dozens of cars, boats and also buildings becoming carried along by waters. A sizable ship swept away by the tsunami rammed directly into a breakwater in Kesennuma city in Miyagi prefecture, according to footage on public broadcaster NHK.
Officials had been trying to assess probable harm from the quake but had no instant details.
The quake that struck two:46 p.m. was followed by a series of aftershocks, such as a 7.4-magnitude 1 about 30 minutes later. The U.S. Geological Survey upgraded the strength of the first quake to a magnitude 8.8.
The meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning for the whole Pacific coast of Japan. National broadcaster NHK was warning these near the coast to get to safer ground.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii stated a tsunami warning was in impact for Japan, Russia, Marcus Island along with the Northern Marianas. A tsunami watch has been issued for Guam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia along with the U.S. state of Hawaii.
The quake struck at a depth of six miles (ten kilometers), about 80 miles (125 kilometers) off the eastern coast, the agency mentioned. The location is 240 miles (380 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.
In downtown Tokyo, large buildings shook violently and workers poured into the street for safety. Tv footage showed a sizable developing on fire and bellowing smoke in the Odaiba district of Tokyo.
In central Tokyo, trains were stopped and passengers walked along the tracks to platforms.
Footage on NHK from their Sendai workplace showed employees stumbling around and books and papers crashing from desks.
A number of quakes had hit exactly the same region in recent days, which includes a 7.three magnitude a single on Wednesday.
Thirty minutes soon after the quake, tall buildings had been still swaying in Tokyo and mobile telephone networks had been not operating. Japan’s Coast Guard has set up task force and officials are standing by for emergency contingencies, Coast Guard official Yosuke Oi stated.
“I’m afraid we’ll soon discover out about damages, since the quake was so powerful,” he said
Posted on Friday, 11 March 2011
