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The morning after Japan was struck by the most powerful earthquake to hit
the island nation in recorded history and the
tsunami it unleashed -- and even as the earth
continued to twitch with aftershocks -- the
disaster's massive impact was only beginning to
be revealed.
The 8.9-magnitude temblor, which was centered
near the east coast of Japan, killed hundreds of
people, caused the formation of 30-foot walls of
water that swept across rice fields, engulfed
entire towns, dragged houses onto highways,
and tossed cars and boats like toys. Some waves reached six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi
Prefecture on Japan's east coast.
The epicenter of Friday's main quake
was located off Miyagi Prefecture, about
230 miles (370 kilometers) northeast of
Tokyo, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Also in Miyagi, officials reported that a
train had derailed and authorities had
lost contact with four trains in coastal
areas, Kyodo reported, citing the East
Japan Railway Company. Six million households, more than 10%
of the total in Japan, were without electricity, said Japan's ambassador to the United
States, Ichiro Fujisaki. In Tokyo, rail service was suspended overnight,
elevated highways were shut early Saturday and
surface streets remained jammed as commuters --
thousands of whom had spent the night in
shelters -- tried to get to their homes in outlying
areas. Video aired by Japanese broadcaster NHK
showed extensive fires in Miyagi and in the port
city of Hakodate, in the southern part of
Hokkaido island in northern Japan. An oil refinery
was burning in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo,
according to NHK. And Kyodo News said fires could be seen in extensive areas of Kesennuma in
Miyagi. Aerial views of Kesennuma showed plumes of
white smoke emanating from the center of the
city and large, black areas the flames had already
traversed. In the city of Minamisoma in Fukushima
Prefecture, all that was left of many structures
were their foundations. Only concrete and steel
buildings appeared to have withstood the wash.
No people were visible in the streets of the town,
whose population on Friday had been 70,000. And a dam in Fukushima Prefecture failed,
washing away homes, Kyodo reported. There
was no immediate word of casualties, but the
Defense Ministry said 1,800 homes were
destroyed. The National Weather Service sent a warning to
50 countries and territories it said could be
affected by the tsunami. Scores of aftershocks jarred the country
Saturday, punctuated by a pair of strong
earthquakes in the early morning, including one
with a magnitude of 7.1 and another with a
magnitude of 6.8. A leak occurred in an atomic power plant in
northeast Japan, a spokesman for Japan's nuclear
agency said Saturday. Cooling equipment stopped
working when generators failed in the quake,
and the temperature inside the plant in the
Fukushima prefecture had risen; officials lowered the pressure inside the plant hangar by venting
it, said spokesman Kazuo Kodama. But high levels of radiation led officials to
suspend the release, NHK said. Alternative plans
were being evaluated, the broadcaster said. Citing Japan's nuclear safety agency, Kyodo said
radiation levels were 1,000 times above normal
in the the control room of the facility's reactor. An evacuation order was extended to people
who live within 10 kilometers (6 miles) of the
plant, named Fukushima Daiichi, about 160 miles
(260 kilometers) north of Tokyo. The agency said the radiation amount posed no
immediate threat to the health of nearby
residents, Kyodo reported. Cooling problems also appeared to have affected
to another of the Tokyo Electric Power
Company's nuclear facilities. Kyodo reported the power company alerted
authorities that the cooling system at three units
of another plant in the same prefecture. That
prompted Japanese authorities to add that plant
to its emergency list, along with the another
plant, Kyodo said. Prime Minister Kan inspected the plant and the
rest of the affected region from a helicopter. The government ordered the evacuation of
residents nearest the plant as efforts to keep it
cool after it was shut were initially hampered. Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported
Saturday that the death toll is more than 900,
with about 700 others reported missing. Earlier
Saturday the nation's Kyodo News News Agency,
citing police, reported that the death toll was 433,
with at least 784 missing. The official death toll is likely to rise as authorities
continue rescue and relief efforts in the worst-hit
areas. Kyodo predicted the death toll would
surpass 1,000.
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The morning after Japan was struck by the most powerful earthquake to hit
the island nation in recorded history and the
tsunami it unleashed -- and even as the earth
continued to twitch with aftershocks -- the
disaster's massive impact was only beginning to
be revealed.
The 8.9-magnitude temblor, which was centered
near the east coast of Japan, killed hundreds of
people, caused the formation of 30-foot walls of
water that swept across rice fields, engulfed
entire towns, dragged houses onto highways,
and tossed cars and boats like toys. Some waves reached six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi
Prefecture on Japan's east coast.
The epicenter of Friday's main quake
was located off Miyagi Prefecture, about
230 miles (370 kilometers) northeast of
Tokyo, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Also in Miyagi, officials reported that a
train had derailed and authorities had
lost contact with four trains in coastal
areas, Kyodo reported, citing the East
Japan Railway Company. Six million households, more than 10%
of the total in Japan, were without electricity, said Japan's ambassador to the United
States, Ichiro Fujisaki. In Tokyo, rail service was suspended overnight,
elevated highways were shut early Saturday and
surface streets remained jammed as commuters --
thousands of whom had spent the night in
shelters -- tried to get to their homes in outlying
areas. Video aired by Japanese broadcaster NHK
showed extensive fires in Miyagi and in the port
city of Hakodate, in the southern part of
Hokkaido island in northern Japan. An oil refinery
was burning in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo,
according to NHK. And Kyodo News said fires could be seen in extensive areas of Kesennuma in
Miyagi. Aerial views of Kesennuma showed plumes of
white smoke emanating from the center of the
city and large, black areas the flames had already
traversed. In the city of Minamisoma in Fukushima
Prefecture, all that was left of many structures
were their foundations. Only concrete and steel
buildings appeared to have withstood the wash.
No people were visible in the streets of the town,
whose population on Friday had been 70,000. And a dam in Fukushima Prefecture failed,
washing away homes, Kyodo reported. There
was no immediate word of casualties, but the
Defense Ministry said 1,800 homes were
destroyed. The National Weather Service sent a warning to
50 countries and territories it said could be
affected by the tsunami. Scores of aftershocks jarred the country
Saturday, punctuated by a pair of strong
earthquakes in the early morning, including one
with a magnitude of 7.1 and another with a
magnitude of 6.8. A leak occurred in an atomic power plant in
northeast Japan, a spokesman for Japan's nuclear
agency said Saturday. Cooling equipment stopped
working when generators failed in the quake,
and the temperature inside the plant in the
Fukushima prefecture had risen; officials lowered the pressure inside the plant hangar by venting
it, said spokesman Kazuo Kodama. But high levels of radiation led officials to
suspend the release, NHK said. Alternative plans
were being evaluated, the broadcaster said. Citing Japan's nuclear safety agency, Kyodo said
radiation levels were 1,000 times above normal
in the the control room of the facility's reactor. An evacuation order was extended to people
who live within 10 kilometers (6 miles) of the
plant, named Fukushima Daiichi, about 160 miles
(260 kilometers) north of Tokyo. The agency said the radiation amount posed no
immediate threat to the health of nearby
residents, Kyodo reported. Cooling problems also appeared to have affected
to another of the Tokyo Electric Power
Company's nuclear facilities. Kyodo reported the power company alerted
authorities that the cooling system at three units
of another plant in the same prefecture. That
prompted Japanese authorities to add that plant
to its emergency list, along with the another
plant, Kyodo said. Prime Minister Kan inspected the plant and the
rest of the affected region from a helicopter. The government ordered the evacuation of
residents nearest the plant as efforts to keep it
cool after it was shut were initially hampered. Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported
Saturday that the death toll is more than 900,
with about 700 others reported missing. Earlier
Saturday the nation's Kyodo News News Agency,
citing police, reported that the death toll was 433,
with at least 784 missing. The official death toll is likely to rise as authorities
continue rescue and relief efforts in the worst-hit
areas. Kyodo predicted the death toll would
surpass 1,000.
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