TOKYO (AFP) - A massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit Japan on Friday, unleashing a monster 10-metre high tsunami that sent ships crashing into the shore and carried cars through the streets of coastal towns.

Many injuries were reported from Pacific coastal areas of the main Honshu island and the capital Tokyo, police said, while TV footage showed widespread flooding in the area. One person was confirmed dead.

A powerful 10-metre (33 feet) wall of water was reported in Sendai in northeastern Miyagi prefecture, media reported after a four-metre wave hit the coast earlier.

Helicopter footage showed massive inundation in northern coastal towns, where floods of black water sent shipping containers, cars and debris crashing through towns.

Mud waves were shown racing upstream along the Natori river in Sendai city, blanketing farm fields.

In the capital, where millions evacuated strongly swaying buildings, multiple injuries were reported when the roof of a hall collapsed during a graduation ceremony, police said.

Plumes of smoke rose from at least 10 locations in city, where four million homes suffered power outages. Port areas were flooded, including the carpark of Tokyo Disneyland.

The first quake struck just under 400 kilometres (250 miles) northeast of Tokyo, the US Geological Survey said. It was followed by several aftershocks, one as strong as 7.1.

"We were shaken so strongly for a while that we needed to hold on to something in order not to fall," said an official at the local government of the hardest-hit city of Kurihara in Miyagi prefecture.

"We couldn't escape the building immediately because the tremors continued,  City officials are now outside, collecting information on damage," she told AFP by telephone.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan quickly assembled his cabinet after the quake hit, and the government quickly dispatched naval vessels from near Tokyo to the worst-hit northeastern area of Miyagi.

The quake, which hit at 14:46 pm (0546 GMT) and lasted about two minutes, strongly rattled buildings in greater Tokyo, the world's largest urban area and home to some 30 million people.

At least 10 fires were reported in Tokyo, where the subway system stopped, sirens wailed and people streamed out of buildings.

Japan sits on the "Pacific Ring of Fire", which is dotted with volcanoes, and Tokyo is situated in one of its most dangerous areas.

A tsunami warning was issued for Japan, Taiwan, Russia and the Mariana Islands, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.

"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicentre within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours," the centre said in a statement.

It also put the territories of Guam, the Philippines, the Marshall Islands, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Micronesia and Hawaii under a lower tsunami watch. Indonesia issued its own tsunami warning.

The quake sent the Nikkei share index plunging at the close while the yen fell sharply against the US dollar.

The mega-city of Tokyo sits on the intersection of three continental plates -- the Eurasian, Pacific and Philippine Sea plates -- which are slowly grinding against each other, building up enormous seismic pressure.

The government's Earthquake Research Committee has warned of a 70 percent chance that a great, magnitude-eight quake will strike within the next 30 years in the Kanto plains, home to Tokyo's vast urban sprawl.

The last time a "Big One" hit Tokyo was in 1923, when the Great Kanto Earthquake claimed more than 140,000 lives, many of them in fires. In 1855, the Ansei Edo quake also devastated the city.

In 1995 Kobe earthquake killed more then 6,400 people.

More than 220,000 people were killed when a 9.1-magnitude quake hit off Indonesia in 2004, unleashing a massive tsunami that devastated coastlines in countries around the Indian Ocean as far away as Africa.

Small quakes are felt every day somewhere in Japan and people take part in regular drills at schools and workplaces to prepare for a calamity.

Nuclear power plants and bullet trains are designed to automatically shut down when the earth rumbles and many buildings have been quake-proofed with steel and ferro-concrete at great cost in recent decades.

Make you pray for us ooooooooooooooo

^^^

Can u imagine

God's love for Nigeria is much; no earth quake, no tsunami, no volcano and other dangerous natural disasters

But we are here killing each other by our selves.

Watched the breaking news on Aljezera.
The scene was just like watching 2012 movie. a whole city is being swept away. too bad.
May God deliver them.

This is a massive one

Some 'Nuclear Reactors' may blow up.

The whole world is at risk - including Nigeria!

I have been reading this on yahoo news,, This is a tragedy, Souls are lost  ,, They need our prayers !!!, I`ll defintly Pray for this people today Its Friday !!!, Its Crazy , God save them and save us too !    and especially for the power plant part, its too scary,

Matthew 24:7

Now, BABE! and Inked_Nerd, I'm waiting for you guys.

hw many pple av lost their lives?This type of quake is dangerous

Sun of god:

Some 'Nuclear Reactors' may blow up.

The whole world is at risk - including Nigeria!

Says who?

A massive earthquake has hit the north-east of Japan, triggering a tsunami that has caused extensive damage.

Japanese television showed cars, ships and even buildings being swept away by a vast wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake.

The quake has sparked fires in several areas including Tokyo. At least 32 people were killed, officials said.

It struck about 250 miles (400km) from the capital at a depth of 20 miles. There have been powerful aftershocks. The tremor, measured at 8.9 by the US Geological Survey, hit at 1446 local time (0546 GMT). Seismologists say it is one of the largest earthquakes to hit Japan for many years.

A tsunami warning was extended across the Pacific to New Zealand in the south and North and South America to the east.

The Red Cross in Geneva warned that the tsunami waves could be higher than some Pacific islands, Reuters news agency said.

Coastal areas in the Philippines, Hawaii and other Pacific islands were evacuated ahead of the tsunami's expected arrival.

http://www.amebortalk.com/exclusive-gist/foreign-gist/567-tsunami-hits-japan-89-mega-quake-32-dead

Sun of god:

Some 'Nuclear Reactors' may blow up.

The whole world is at risk - including Nigeria!

Nah! That's South Korea's project, remember?
Relaxxxxxx! We safe, nigguh.

8.9 magnitude is a terribly high magnitude earthquake, as we speak, about 53 countries are on danger list!

Oh ! God, have mercy on your children.

HOLY SHIIT! I'm watching TV right now, and it says there's a nuclear power plant in Tokyo, that just caught fire!!
Bros, wahala dey ooh!!!

This is serious. It just swept everything in its path. They are saying it will hit Hawaii in less than 1 hour.

pray for those that have lost their lives
and watch as events unfold
my fear really is the aftermath of this earthquake
the tsunamis and the different aftershocks
I just pray they evacuate people on time before the tsunamis hit


, and why is this not on the home page
or isnt it worthy to be on the front page?

Areosapien:

HOLY SHIIT! I'm watching TV right now, and it says there's a nuclear power plant in Tokyo, that just caught fire!!
Bros, wahala dey ooh!!!

And they said smething about not able to pump water for the nuclear power plant?? This is a tragedy, God Please save these people and even us !!!

Even as am typing this post, Im stil watching it live on tv now. Nna mehn, no be small thing O!

just imagine washing away a pack of ants with a "bowl" of water ?

Its the buzz in my office and those pictures look really awful, really concerned for the people of Japan at present. These are awful times for them. That nuclear reactor had better no blow up.

The nuclear plant doesnt have to blow up; all it has to do is leak and there is major problem but god forbid.

God of Nigeria is worthy to be praise at all time of our lives.
I wept seriously watching this on CNN news today as the whole area with human beings and other creatures being swept away .
We need to thank our God and stop killing our fellow human being.

kufreabasi:

God of Nigeria is worthy to be praise at all time of our lives.
I wept seriously watching this on CNN news today as the whole area with human beings and other creatures being swept away .
We need to thank our God and stop killing our fellow human being.

There is nothing to praise about Nigeria. Nigeria is already a natural distater that is why nothing happen in Nigeria.
But yes Nigeria suppose to be a better place since no major distater happen there. I should even say the entire continent of Africa but the continent is already distater itself that is why God is saving the stress away.

Just give Japan few months when everything dry up, they will rebuild but give Nigeria 50 years; the one single project they started ten years ago will still not complete.

Nairalanders !! Its high time for everyone to pray for Tokyo people, this is one is different with other Tsunamis 8.9 Magnitude !!!!


With a population of over 12 million, or about 10 percent of Japan's population, Tokyo is by far the country's most populous and most densely populated prefecture.

I was watching it live from ChannelNewsAsia(Singapore), my biggest prayer ever, may Almighty Allah stop the Nuclear Power Plant from boosting.

"Tsunami Alert for New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, and others. Waves expected over the next few hours, caused by 8.9 earthquake in Japan".- Google.

I will never buy the idea for Nuclear Power Plant in Nigeria, even the top developed countries like Japan cannot do anything to stop this type of Nuclear disaster, hoping it will never occur in Tokyo.

OvieE:


Just give Japan few months when everything dry up, they will rebuild but give Nigeria 50 years; the one single[b] project they started ten years ago will still not complete[/b].

Somehow you are right, even thought many will challenge you, if I may guess the case of Nigeria might be because of around just 50 GOD-FATHERS , Obj, IBB, Atiku, Dangote, If I will count they might not reach up to 50 sep. Never expect Nigeria to develop with such people around, sorry to stay.

Case Study: Ghana and co.

[size=15pt]My heart and prayers goes out to the people of Japan on the recent destruction that the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and Tsunami has caused and let us pray for the aversion of the same fate on Hawaii.[/size]

This is serious, 8.9 magnitude earthquake is not a joke. Just saw the video on the news, about 60 confirmed dead already and another 60 missing

Lord have mercy on Japan and her people!

300 people dead!!! Pls pray for us, just been placed on aftershock attacks

^^ Is Osaka affected too?

May God have mercy and Intervene in the great mishap in Jesus Name.

I just hope my Uncle and his fam out there in Japan are alright. Na wa ooooo.

[flash=400,400]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6aZGY7yhc0?fs=1&hl=en[/flash]


Absolutely tragic.


Prayers for JAPAN in its entirety.

Seems subsequent earthquakes tend to increase with intensity.