HTH -- Haiti Earthquake

March 11, 2011. Major earthquake strikes Japan, unleashes Pacific-wide tsunami

SOURCE: Altegrity Risk International

One of the most powerful earthquakes in recent years struck some 400km (250 miles) from Japan's Tokyo at 14:46 local time (05:46 GMT), triggering a massive tsunami that caused extensive damage to coastal Japan and sparked tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean to North and South America. The Red Cross in Geneva warned that the tsunami would be higher than some Pacific islands, leading officials to evacuate coastal areas of the Philippines, Hawaii, Guam, Eastern Russia, and a string of Pacific Islands. New Zealand, meanwhile, expects strong and powerful currents.

The 8.9-magnitude quake sparked fires in several areas of Japan, including Tokyo, and killed at least 32 people - the death toll is expected to rise. Television footage showed tsunamis sweeping cars, ships, and buildings, with the prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima particularly affected. A 10-meter wave (33ft) reportedly struck the port of Sendai in Miyagi. A ship carrying some 100 passengers was swept away by the tsunami, with officials unable to determine the fate of the ship and its passengers. The United Nation's nuclear agency said four nuclear plants were shut down for safety reasons, while a fire was burning in the turbine building of the Onagawa nuclear plant in Miyagi prefecture. Officials declared a nuclear emergency and evacuated thousands of residents living within a three kilometer radius of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant over concerns about earthquake damage. Officials said there was no sign of leakage. The earthquake also sparked a powerful fire at an oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo. About 20 people were injured in Tokyo after the roof of a hall collapsed on a graduation ceremony. Residents of apartment blocks and office buildings rushed out in Tokyo and much of Japan, while officials suspended public transport in the capital and bullet train service on Honshu Island. Elevators were switched off in many buildings and thousands of people gathered in squares and train stations.Flight operations were temporarily closed at Narita International Airport near Tokyo. Some four million homes in and around Tokyo suffered power outages.