By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Japan submerged: A screen grab taken from news footage by Japanese Government broadcaster NHK on March 11, 2011 shows cars on a flooded street following an earthquake-triggered tsumani in Miyagi prefecture


People in cars try to outrun waves on coastal highways

Tokyo's Disneyland car park under water

Hundreds injured after ceiling caves in at Tokyo graduation ceremony

Physicist describes event as one of history's 'great quakes'

Buildings rocked in China's capital Beijing, 1,500 miles away


Huge tsunami waves have washed away buildings and cars after a massive earthquake struck off the coast of Japan.

The earthquake, measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, sent ten-metre waves surging inland and caused fires in Tokyo.

Japan's meteorological agency said the tsunami struck Sendai, which has a population of about one million.

Drivers were seen fleeing the waves on highways close to the coast as the impact of the huge quake swept ashore while the car park at Disneyland in Tokyo was submerged.


Creeping dread: In this image from Japan's NHK TV video footage, houses are washed away by tsunami in Sendai as the waves power ashore


Aftershocks: The power of the seismic activity has been felt in Tokyo, 230 miles of its impact off the coast near Sendai


Dramatic footage showed the surge washing away cars, a bridge and buildings at the mouth of the Hirose-gawa River, which flows through the centre of Sendai, while a roof caved in at a graduation ceremony in Tokyo.

A large ship swept away by the tsunami rammed directly into a breakwater in Kesennuma city in Miyagi prefecture, according to footage on public broadcaster NHK, and numerous people are believed to have been injured.

Officials were trying to assess possible damage from the quake but had no immediate details.

The quake that struck 2:46pm was followed by a series of aftershocks, including a 7.4-magnitude one about 30 minutes later. The U.S. Geological Survey upgraded the strength of the first quake to a magnitude 8.9.


Crashing ashore: A tsunami is seen hitting the coast in Sendai



Capital shakes: A building burns after an earthquake in the Odaiba district of Tokyo


Moment of impact: People at a book store react as the store's ceiling falls in Sendai


Wide impact: A U.S. Geological Survey map shows the location of the quake while Yurikamome train passengers walk on the elevated track towards Shiodome Station in Tokyo's Shiodome district


A nation ablaze: A factory burns after the impact of the earthquake


The meteorological agency issued a tsunami warning for the entire Pacific coast of Japan. National broadcaster NHK was warning those near the coast to get to safer ground.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said a tsunami warning was in effect for Japan, Russia, Marcus Island and the Northern Marianas.

A tsunami watch has been issued for Guam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and the U.S. state of Hawaii.

The quake struck at a depth of six miles (10 kilometres), about 80 miles (125 kilometres) off the eastern coast, the agency said.


Cars and buildings have been swept away by a crashing wave after the earthquake


The area is 240 miles (380 kilometre) northeast of Tokyo.
In downtown Tokyo, large buildings shook violently and workers poured into the street for safety.

TV footage showed a large building 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 office showed employees stumbling around and books and papers crashing from desks.


A 7.9 magnitude earthquake has hit Tokyo, sparking a tsunami


Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday.

Thirty minutes after the quake, tall buildings were still swaying in Tokyo and mobile phone networks were not working. Japan's Coast Guard has set up task force and officials are standing by for emergency contingencies, Coast Guard official Yosuke Oi said.

'I'm afraid we'll soon find out about damages, since the quake was so strong,' he said.





source: dailymail