Massive Earthquake Hits Northern Japan

Smoke billowing from a damaged building in Minato Ward in Tokyo, Japan. The country was hit by a 8.8 magnitude earthquake on March 11, 2011. There are 1,000 people reported dead and many more injured. a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Massive quake strikes northern Japan

The Daily Yomiuri

Smoke billowed from a building in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in a fire that broke out following a major earthquake on Friday afternoon

A powerful earthquake measuring magnitude 8.8 hit northern Japan on Friday afternoon, causing extensive damage in the area, the Meteorological Agency said.

The quake struck 20 kilometers deep off the Sanriku coast in Iwate Prefecture at 2:46 p.m. and lasted several minutes, the agency said. Tsunami caused by the quake struck Kamaishi, Miyako and Yamadamachi in the prefecture, washing away houses.

The quake registered a maximum 7 on the Japanese intensity scale in Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture.

The Meteorological Agency issued tsunami warnings for Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures, as well as western Hokkaido along the Pacific Ocean side.

The agency warned the tsunami could reach as high as 10 meters.

Around 3 p.m. a 20-centimeter-high tsunami was observed in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, and a 50-centimeter-high tsunami was observed Ishinomaki in the prefecture by 2:52 p.m.

An aftershock measuring 5 on the Japanese intensity scale hit coastal areas in Iwate Prefecture at 3:08 p.m.

Strong tremors were also felt in Tokyo, registering 5 on the Japanese intensity scale.

The quake rattled buildings in central Tokyo, causing at least 10 fires, according to the Tokyo Fire Department.

Parts of the ceiling at Kudan Kaikan hall in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, collapsed, injuring a large number of people, according to the fire department. A graduation ceremony of a vocational school was held at that time.

The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry said the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Onagawa, eastern Miyagi Prefecture, suspended its operations following the earthquake.

East Japan Railway Co. suspended all services on its Shinkansen bullet train and other lines in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

(Mar. 11, 2011)