The earthquake struck the northeastern coast near Honshu, Japan’s most populous island.
UPDATE SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 10:45 AM
The official death toll from Japan’s earthquake and tsunami continue to rise. Officials have determined that at least 1,400 people have perished in the disaster, and that number is expected to continue climbing as rescue workers comb the affected regions.
Police in Japan’s Northern Miyagi prefecture say as many as 10,000 people may have died in that area alone.
UPDATE SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 11:34 AM
The official death toll from the 9.0 magnitude quake and tsunami in Japan has reached 574, but the government says more than 1,000 people may have perished during the disaster.
Official figures also say 1,105 people are injured. Thousands of hungry survivors are reported to be waiting in emergency centers cut off from rescuers and aid groups.
UPDATE 5:33 PM - The Tsunami Warning Center has raised the magnitude of the earthquake from 8.9 to 9.1.
UPDATE 5:29 PM - The National Police Agency report 200 to 300 bodies have been found in Sendai, the city closest to the earthquake. The official casualty toll, however, is still 185 killed, 741 missing and 948 injured. At least one person in California has died as a result of tsunami waves.
UPDATE 1:00 PM- Japan National Police have confirmed that 184 people are dead, 722 are hurt and 530 are missing after the 8.9 earthquake.
UPDATE 11:37 AM - The massive earthquake that struck the northeastern coast of Japan was the strongest one to hit the area in nearly 1,200 years.
The 8.9-magnitude quake ruptured a patch of the earth’s crust 150 miles long and 50 miles across, said DApplegate, a senior science adviser for earthquake and geologic hazards for the U.S. Geological Survey.
UPDATE 11:15 AM - A 6.6 aftershock hits Japan
UPDATE 10:00 AM - Police said 200 to 300 bodies were found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai, the city in Miyagi prefecture/state closest to the epicenter, the Associated Press reported. Another 137 were confirmed killed, with 531 people missing. People also said 627 people were injured.
UPDATE 9:47 AM - President Obama says the earthquake and tsunami in Japan are a potentially “catastrophic” disaster, and his thoughts and prayers are with the Japanese people.
Obama continued to say during a White House news conference that the U.S. is prepared to send whatever assistance Japan requests. He noted that one aircraft carrier is already in Japan an another is on its way.
Tsunami waves have already hit Hawaii beaches and grazed the west coast. Obama said his administration will closely monitor the impact of the tsunami on the U.S. He added that residents should take warnings from local officials seriously and evacuate if told to do so.
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An 8.9 magnitude earthquake rumbled off the northeastern coast of Japan at 2:46 p.m. on Friday (Japan time), causing tsunamis and major damage.
The earthquake struck the northeastern coast near Honshu, Japan’s most populous island. Waves as high as 20 feet and possibly larger were reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was magnitude 8.9, which is labeled as “mega” quake by the agency. The tremor occurred at about 230 miles northeast of Tokyo and at a depth of about 15 miles.
A second major earthquake of 7.4 magnitude was reported as aftershocks shook the region.
A tsunami watch was issued for other areas such as Guam, Taiwan and Hawaii. The first estimated arrival of a tsunami for Hawaii was reported to be about 3 A.M. Pacific Time.
Injuries are being reported both by American and Japanese news outlets, but no specific number has been given.
The force of waves have been able to wash away cars on coastal roads, nearly cover large buildings along the shore, and cause a power outage in about 4 million homes in Tokyo and surrounding areas.
In some areas, citizens had only 10 seconds notice to evacuate their respective areas. People in Tokyo had as little as a 30 second warning, according to reports from an NBC producer in Tokyo speaking on MSNBC.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has held a few press conferences already to reach out to the public.
“The government will do everything possible to minimize damage...We therefore ask the people of Japan to exercise the spirit of fraternity. We should all help each other to minimize the damage.”
The Prime Minister continued by saying that no radioactive material or radiation has been confirmed to have leaked at the moment from nuclear power plants. He also said that an emergency response headquarters has been set up with himself as the head.
“We ask the people of Japan to be cautious and vigilant and keep tuned into reports,” Kan said.
Airports in the region were closed, including Tokyo’s Narita airport, and train service has been stopped in central Tokyo. Tokyo’s fire department reported several people were injured during a graduation ceremony in the city when a roof caved in, SkyNews reported.
USC graduate Kimiyo Brown is currently living in Tokyo. In the video below, Brown talked with ATVN’s Kristen Steach on the phone about how she felt when the earthquake struck Japan.
Brown said that she had been feeling small quakes for over the past few months. Several quakes struck the region earlier in the week, including a magnitude 7.3 quake on Wednesday.
“Those weren’t scary though, just movement for maybe 10 seconds or so. I thought that’s what this one was but it kept getting worse and worse,” Brown said. “I was in bed at the time because I was about to take a nap.”
Brown mentioned that being from Texas, she did not know one is supposed to stay in bed during an earthquake. She said she called her roommates from California but no one answered.
“So I was freaking out,” Brown said. “We’re still feeling aftershocks. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever experienced…because I didn’t know what to do.”
Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active areas, and earthquakes are common. The country has about 20 percent of the world’s earthquakes with magnitudes usually being 6 or greater.
Below is a video by SkyNews on the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
