Tsunami hits Japan after massive quake

The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan since records began has hit the country's north-east and triggered a devastating tsunami.

Japanese TV showed cars, ships and buildings swept away by a vast wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude quake.

A state of emergency has been declared at a nuclear power plant but officials said there were no radiation leaks.

At least 60 people have been killed by the quake, which struck about 400km (250 miles) north-east of Tokyo.

The region has been rocked by a number of powerful aftershocks.

The tremor, measured at 8.9 by the US Geological Survey, hit at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) at a depth of about 24km.

A tsunami warning was extended across the Pacific to North and South America.

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.

New Zealand later downgraded its alert to a marine threat, meaning strong and unusual currents were expected.

Wall of water

Strong waves hit Japan's Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, officials said, damaging dozens of coastal communities.

Kyodo news agency said a 10-metre wave (33ft) struck the port of Sendai in Miyagi.

Japan's NHK television showed a massive surge of debris-filled water sweeping away buildings, cars and ships and reaching far inland.

Motorists could be seen trying to speed away from the wall of water.

Farmland around Sendai was submerged and the waves pushed cars across the runway of the city's airport. Fires broke out in the city's centre.

A state of emergency was declared at the Fukushima power plant after the cooling system failed in one of its reactors when it shut down automatically because of the earthquake.

The local government urged 2,000 nearby residents to evacuate the area as a precaution. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said no radiation leaks at that power plant or any of the other reactors in the quake-hit zone had been detected.

The UN's nuclear agency said four nuclear power plants had shut down safely.
Police and local officials said at least 40 people had been killed in the earthquake and tsunami. It is believed the death toll could rise significantly.

A ship carrying 100 people was swept away, Japanese media reported, quoting police in Miyagi. It is not clear what happened to the ship and its passengers.

In Iwate prefecture, also near the epicentre, an official said it was difficult to gauge the extent of the destruction.

"Roads were badly damaged and cut off as the tsunami washed away debris, cars and many other things," said Hiroshi Sato, a disaster management official in Iwate.

The earthquake also triggered a massive blaze at an oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, engulfing storage tanks.

There were reports of about 20 people injured in Tokyo after the roof of a hall collapsed on to a graduation ceremony.

Residents and workers in Tokyo rushed out of apartment buildings and office blocks and gathered in parks and open spaces as aftershocks continued to hit.

Many people in Tokyo said they had never felt such a powerful earthquake.

In central Tokyo, Jeffrey Balanag said he was stuck in his office in the Shiodome Sumitomo building because the elevators had stopped working.

"There's no panic but we're almost seasick from the constant rolling of the building," he told the BBC.

Bullet train services to northern Japan were halted and rapid transit in Tokyo was suspended, stranding many workers in the city centre.

Narita airport outside Tokyo was initially closed but later opened for departing flights.

About four million homes in and around Tokyo suffered power outages.

In a televised address, Mr Kan extended his sympathy to the victims of the disaster and said an emergency response headquarters had been set up.

Tsunami hits Jepang setelah gempa besar

Gempa paling kuat untuk memukul Jepang sejak pencatatan dimulai sudah mengenai negara utara-timur dan memicu tsunami yang menghancurkan

 

TV Jepang menunjukkan mobil, kapal dan bangunan hanyut oleh dinding besar air setelah gempa 8,9 skala Richter.
 
Sebuah keadaan darurat telah dinyatakan di pembangkit listrik tenaga nuklir namun para pejabat mengatakan tidak ada kebocoran radiasi.
 
Setidaknya 60 orang telah tewas oleh gempa yang melanda sekitar 400 km (250 mil) utara-timur Tokyo.
Daerah ini telah diguncang oleh sejumlah gempa susulan yang kuat.
 
The tremor, diukur sebesar 8,9 oleh US Geological Survey, hit pada 1446 waktu setempat (0546 WIB) pada kedalaman sekitar 24km.

Sebuah peringatan tsunami diperpanjang di Pasifik Utara dan Amerika Selatan.
Palang Merah di Jenewa memperingatkan bahwa gelombang tsunami dapat lebih tinggi dari beberapa pulau Pasifik, kantor berita Reuters mengatakan.
 
wilayah Pesisir di Filipina, Hawaii dan kepulauan Pasifik lainnya dievakuasi depan diharapkan kedatangan tsunami.
 


Selandia Baru kemudian diturunkan waspada terhadap ancaman laut, yang berarti arus yang kuat dan biasa diharapkan.

Dinding air gelombang Strong hit Jepang Miyagi dan prefektur Fukushima, para pejabat mengatakan, merusak puluhan masyarakat pesisir.
 
kantor berita Kyodo mengatakan gelombang 10 meter (33ft) melanda pelabuhan Sendai di Miyagi.
Televisi Jepang NHK menunjukkan gelombang besar air puing-diisi menyapu bangunan, mobil dan kapal dan mencapai jauh di daratan.
 
Pengemudi dapat dilihat mencoba untuk mempercepat menjauh dari dinding air.
Lahan pertanian di sekitar Sendai tenggelam dan ombak mendorong mobil di landasan pacu bandara kota. Kebakaran terjadi di pusat kota.

Sebuah keadaan darurat diumumkan di pembangkit listrik Fukushima setelah sistem pendingin gagal dalam salah satu reaktor pada saat itu ditutup secara otomatis karena gempa.
 
Pemerintah daerah mendesak 2.000 penduduk sekitar untuk melakukan evakuasi sebagai tindakan pencegahan.Perdana Menteri Naoto Kan mengatakan kebocoran radiasi tidak pada saat itu pembangkit listrik atau salah satu reaktor lain di zona gempa telah terdeteksi.
 
Badan nuklir PBB mengatakan empat pembangkit listrik tenaga nuklir harus dimatikan secara aman.
 
Polisi dan pejabat setempat mengatakan sedikitnya 40 orang telah tewas dalam gempa bumi dan tsunami. Hal ini diyakini jumlah korban tewas bisa meningkat secara signifikan.
 
Sebuah kapal yang mengangkut 100 orang tersapu, media Jepang melaporkan, mengutip polisi di Miyagi.Tidak jelas apa yang terjadi pada kapal dan penumpangnya.
 
Di prefektur Iwate, juga dekat pusat gempa, kata seorang pejabat sulit untuk mengukur tingkat kerusakan.
"Jalan rusak parah dan memotong sebagai tersapu tsunami puing-puing, mobil dan banyak hal lainnya," kata Hiroshi Sato, manajemen bencana resmi di Iwate.
 
Gempa bumi juga memicu kebakaran besar di sebuah kilang minyak di kota Ichihara di prefektur Chiba dekat Tokyo, menelan tangki penyimpanan.

Ada laporan dari sekitar 20 orang luka-luka di Tokyo setelah atap aula runtuh pada upacara wisuda.
 
Warga dan pekerja di Tokyo bergegas keluar dari gedung apartemen dan blok kantor dan berkumpul di taman dan ruang terbuka sebagai gempa susulan terus memukul.

Banyak orang di Tokyo mengatakan bahwa mereka tidak pernah merasa seperti gempa kuat.
 
Di Tokyo pusat, Jeffrey Balanag mengatakan bahwa ia terjebak di kantornya di gedung Sumitomo Shiodome karena lift sudah berhenti bekerja.
 
"Ada tidak panik tapi kita sudah hampir mabuk laut dari rolling konstan bangunan," katanya kepada BBC.
layanan kereta api Bullet ke Jepang utara dihentikan dan transit cepat di Tokyo dihentikan, terdampar banyak pekerja di pusat kota.
 
bandara Narita di luar Tokyo pada awalnya ditutup tetapi kemudian dibuka untuk penerbangan berangkat.
Sekitar empat juta rumah di dan sekitar Tokyo mengalami pemadaman listrik.

Sekitar empat juta rumah di dan sekitar Tokyo mengalami pemadaman listrik.
 
Dalam pidato televisi, Bapak Kan diperpanjang simpati kepada korban bencana dan kata seorang markas tanggap darurat telah ditetapkan.