A MASSIVE 8.9-magnitude earthquake has hit Japan, unleashing a monster 10-metre high tsunami that sent ships crashing into the shore and carried cars through the streets of coastal towns. At least three people were reported killed and 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.
The Japanese government said the quake and tsunami had caused ***8220;tremendous damage***8221; as it sent military personnel to deal with the disaster.
A powerful 10-metre 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.
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Mud waves were shown racing upstream along the Natori river in Sendai city, blanketing farm fields.
In the capital Tokyo, where millions evacuated strongly swaying buildings, multiple injuries were reported when the roof of a hall collapsed during a graduation ceremony, police said.
The dead included a 67-year-old man crushed by a wall and an elderly woman killed by a fallen roof, both in the wider Tokyo area.
Near Tokyo, a huge fire engulfed an oil refinery in Iichihara, TV pictures showed.
However the Japanese government said there was no damage to nuclear power plants in the quake-hit area.
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 northeast of Tokyo, the US Geological Survey said. It was followed by several aftershocks, one as strong as 7.1.
***8220;We were shaken so strongly for a while that we needed to hold on to something in order not to fall,***8221; said an official at the local government of the hardest-hit city of Kurihara in Miyagi prefecture.
***8220;We couldn't escape the building immediately because the tremors continued... City officials are now outside, collecting information on damage,***8221; she said.
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 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.
Metropolitan expressways were also closed as people poured out high rise buildings on to the street.
There were reports of injuries from falling debris in parts of Tokyo and Sendai to the north. At least 25 people were injured when the ceiling of a hall in Tokyo's Chiyoda district collapsed.
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.
Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday.
Powerful 10m high tsunami hits Japan after massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake | The Australian
The Japanese government said the quake and tsunami had caused ***8220;tremendous damage***8221; as it sent military personnel to deal with the disaster.
A powerful 10-metre 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.
Related Coverage
Mud waves were shown racing upstream along the Natori river in Sendai city, blanketing farm fields.
In the capital Tokyo, where millions evacuated strongly swaying buildings, multiple injuries were reported when the roof of a hall collapsed during a graduation ceremony, police said.
The dead included a 67-year-old man crushed by a wall and an elderly woman killed by a fallen roof, both in the wider Tokyo area.
Near Tokyo, a huge fire engulfed an oil refinery in Iichihara, TV pictures showed.
However the Japanese government said there was no damage to nuclear power plants in the quake-hit area.
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 northeast of Tokyo, the US Geological Survey said. It was followed by several aftershocks, one as strong as 7.1.
***8220;We were shaken so strongly for a while that we needed to hold on to something in order not to fall,***8221; said an official at the local government of the hardest-hit city of Kurihara in Miyagi prefecture.
***8220;We couldn't escape the building immediately because the tremors continued... City officials are now outside, collecting information on damage,***8221; she said.
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 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.
Metropolitan expressways were also closed as people poured out high rise buildings on to the street.
There were reports of injuries from falling debris in parts of Tokyo and Sendai to the north. At least 25 people were injured when the ceiling of a hall in Tokyo's Chiyoda district collapsed.
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.
Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday.
Powerful 10m high tsunami hits Japan after massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake | The Australian
x 5 
, destruction on this scale is nothing to mock.
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