Japan earthquake triggers tsunami

March 11, 2011 - the day the earth shook. On that day, Japan was rocked by what is now being called one of the most devastating quakes in the history of the world.

First came the roar and rumble of the temblor, which shook skyscrapers, smashed furniture and buckled highways. Then the waves came, some as high as 13 feet, rushing onto the shore, whisking away cars and carrying blazing buildings toward factories, fields and highways.

The US Geological Survey calculated the initial quake to have a magnitude of 8.9, while Japanese officials raised their estimate to 9.0. Either way it was the strongest quake ever recorded in Japan. It was followed by hundreds of powerful aftershocks.

The country now faces a nuclear crisis along with a cascade of swiftly accumulating problems that suggest that radioactive releases of steam from the crippled plants could go on for weeks or even months.

The death toll in Japan's earthquake and the tsunami will likely exceed 10,000 in one state alone, as millions of survivors were left without drinking water, electricity and proper food along the pulverised northeastern coast. Here are some pictures.

A Japan Self-Defense Force member reacts after rescuing a four-month-old baby girl in Ishinomaki, northern Japan. (AP)

A teacher, left, reacts as she was reunited with her students at a shelter in the earthquake and tsunami-hit area in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture.(AP)

Survivors eat food they cooked on a road blocked by the rubble at an earthquake and tsunami-hit area in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan. (AP)

Passengers crowd a check-in area at Narita airport, east of Tokyo. The airport was crowded with evacuees and regular passengers following advisories from foreign governments recommending citizens leave the country, as the crisis at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in the northeast deepened. (AP)

Japanese survivors of Friday's earthquake and tsunami make tea and warm themselves around a fire next to a school baseball field where refugees are taking shelter in the destroyed city of Minamisanriku, in northeastern Japan. (AP)

Survivors take a moment to take in the extent of the damage. (AP)

Yoshikatsu Hiratsuka grieves over the body of his wife in Onagawa, northern Japan. Hiratsuka kept crying out, saying "Sorry, Sorry" that he couldn't have helped her from tsunami, and it is still impossible to retrieve her body. (AP)

A woman prays as a family (background) mourns at a hall were caskets of tsunami and earthquake victims have been taken in Rifu, Miyagi prefecture.

The official number of dead and missing after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that flattened Japan's northeast coast a week ago has topped 16,600, with 6,405 confirmed dead, police said. (AFP)

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano (L) talks with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan (R) prior to their talks at Kan's office in Tokyo.

Japan resumed water cooling operations at a quake-hit nuclear plant using a fleet of fire trucks, as workers racing against time to avert catastrophe ran a power supply cable to the site. (AFP)

Japan's Self-Defense Forces's helicopter heads to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant to dump water on the stricken reactor in Okumamachi. (AP)

Chinese shoppers crowd a shop in an effort to buy salt in Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu province. Chinese retailers on March 17 reported panic buying of salt, partly because shoppers believe it could help ward off the effects of potential radioactivity from Japan's crippled nuclear power plant.

Chinese consumers are hoping iodine in the iodised salt can reduce the impact of possible radioactivity as the crisis at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant deepens.

But state-run China National Radio said the iodine content of edible salt in the country averages between 20-30 microgrammes per kilogramme, quoting experts saying that is too low to have any effect. (AFP)

Electric poles stand tilted near a port in Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture (state) one day after a massive Tsunami triggered by a huge earthquake hit northern Japan Saturday, March 12, 2011. (AP)

Officials offer a silent prayer at Miyagi Prefectural Government in Sendai, northern Japan, after a massive earthquake and tsunami. (AP)

Caskets are placed at a mortuary in Rifucho, northern Japan after an massive earthquake and tsunami. (AP)

A portrait lies in the rubble at an earthquake and tsunami-hit area in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan. (AP)

People who were isolated at an elementary school, head for safety place in Sendai, northern Japan after one of the country's strongest earthquakes ever recorded hit its eastern coast on Friday. (AP)

A man walks along a street through debris and past destroyed buildings in Kamaishi town in Iwate prefecture, northeastern Japan.

Japan battled a nuclear and humanitarian crisis March 18 as engineers worked to restore power to a stricken atomic plant while the toll of dead and missing from the quake and tsunami topped 16,000. (AFP)

South Korean women pay silent tribute to victims of Friday's earthquake and tsunami in Japan, in downtown Seoul. (AP)

An elderly woman (L) and a relative are reunited at a center for displaced persons in the devastated town of Otsuchi, Iwate prefecture, after a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit the northestern coast of Japan's main island of Honshu.

The number of people confirmed dead in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan has hit 6,539, surpassing the toll from the massive tremor in Kobe in 1995, police said. (AFP)

Volunteers sort out clothing that were just delivered to them prior to distribution to quake victims at Fukushima, northeastern Japan following last week's massive earthquake and resulting tsunami. (AP)

An evacuee reacts at a make-shift aid center, which was used to be a gym, at a shelter in Minamisanriku, northern Japan following Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami. (AP)

People pull water from a fountain in Tagajo near Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan. (AP)

People line up to shop food and necessities at a retail store in Tagajo near Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan. (AP)

Following the massive earthquake which devastated Japan's northeast coast, people leave Sendai, as soon as the transport is back up.(AP)

A mother protects her baby from driving snow as they queue for a bus to leave town in Sendai, Japan. Sendai is one of Japan's northeast coast towns devastated by Friday's earthquake and tsunami it spawned. (AP)

People stand in driving snow as they queue for a bus to leave town in Sendai, Japan. Sendai is one of Japan's northeast coast towns devastated by Friday's earthquake and tsunami it spawned. (AP)

Residents make their way through falling snow along streets in the city of Ishinomaki, northeastern Japan following last week's massive earthquake and resulting tsunami. (AP)

Japan's Self-Defense Forces's helicopter scoops water off Japan's northeast coast on its way to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okumamachi.

Helicopters are dumping water on a stricken reactor in northeastern Japan to cool overheated fuel rods inside the core. (AP)

This DigitalGlobe handout image shows the earthquake and tsunami damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on March 14, 2011 in nuclear power plant located in the town of Okuma in the Futaba District of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. (AFP/DigitalGlobe)

A screen grab taken from news footage by Japanese public broadcaster NHK on March 14, 2011, shows the moment of a hydrogen explosion at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station number three reactor on March 14, 2011. (AFP Photo)

An explosion shook a quake-damaged Japanese nuclear power plant on March 14 and plumes of smoke rose from the building. Japan's nuclear safety agency said the blast, at the number 3 reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, was believed to be caused by hydrogen. (AFP)

This image made available from Tokyo Electric Power Co. via Kyodo News, shows the damaged No. 4 unit of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex in Okumamachi, northeastern Japan, on Tuesday March 15, 2011. White smoke billows from the No. 3 unit. (AP)

In this 2002 photo, workers examine equipments inside of the the No. 4 unit of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant in Okumamachi, northeastern Japan.
The outer housing of the containment vessel at the No. 4 unit at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex erupted in flames early Wednesday March 16, 2011, said Hajimi Motujuku, a spokesman for the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (AP)

A Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) employee explains about the damage of the third and fourth reactors of the TEPCO Fukushima No.1 power plant in Fukushima prefecture at the company's headquarters in Tokyo on March 16, 2011. (AFP)

Japan's Self-Defense Forces's helicopters scoop water off Japan's northeast coast on their way to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okumamachi.
Helicopters are dumping water on a stricken reactor in northeastern Japan to cool overheated fuel rods inside the core. (AP)

Evacuees from the west side of Fukushima line for radiation scans in Nihonmatsu city in Fukushima prefecture, on March 16, 2011.

The official toll of the dead and missing following a devastating earthquake and tsunami that flattened Japan's northeast coast has topped 11,000, with 3,676 confirmed dead, police said.

The total number of people unaccounted for in the wake of the twin disasters rose by more than 800 to 7,558, the national police agency said in its latest update. (AFP)

An official in a full radiation protection suit scans an evacuated woman and her dog with a geiger counter to check radiation levels in Koriyama city in Fukushima prefecture, about 60km west from the crisis-hit Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) Fukushima Nuclear plant, on March 16, 2011.

A fresh fire broke out at the quake-hit Japanese atomic power plant in Fukushima early on March 16, compounding Japan's nuclear crisis following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster. (AFP)

In this photo released by Imperial Household Agency of Japan, Emperor Akihito addresses the nation at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo Wednesday, March 16, 2011, after Friday's powerful earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan. He expressed his condolences and urged Japan not to give up. (AP)

Rescue operations continue amid rough weather conditions.

A survivor of the tsunami shows the family pictures she collected from the rubble of her former house in Yamada, Iwate prefecture, on March 15, 2011.(AFP)

A bicycler looks at a fishing boat washed away by Friday's tsunami on a road at Sendai port, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan. (AP)

A boat lies on the shore, crushing a home near Sendai in Miyagi prefecture, 3 days after a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami devastated the coast of eastern Japan. (AFP Photo)

A member of a British search and rescue team looks out from the window of a damaged house surrounded by debris from the tsunami, as snow falls in Kamaishi, Japan, Wednesday, March 16, 2011.

Two search and rescue teams from the U.S. and a team from the U.K. with combined numbers of around 220 personnel searched the town for survivors Wednesday to help in the aftermath of Friday's earthquake and tsunami. (AP)

Smoke rising from a burning oil refinery following the tsunami that was triggered by a strong earthquake in Tagajo, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, Sunday, March 13, 2011. (AP Photo)

A man comforts a woman as she cries in front of her damaged home in the town of Watari in the Miyagi prefecture. (AFP Photo)

Survivors pay their respect in front of the blanket-covered body of a victim lying among the rubble at Rikuzentakata, northeastern Japan. (AP Photo)

Japan Self-Defense Forces personnel search for victims around a ship swept out by Friday's tsunami in Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan. (AP Photo)

A pleasure boat sitting on top of a building amid a sea of debris in Otsuchi town in Iwate prefecture. (AFP Photo)

A man (bottom) walking past a Japanese Air Self Defence Force plane pushed into a hangar by the tsunami at a base in Higashimatsushima in Miyagi prefecture. (AFP Photo)

Cars burnt out by fires that were triggered by the tsunami lined up near Sendai in Miyagi prefecture. (AFP Photo)

Containers piled up in the port of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture three days after a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami devastated the coast of eastern Japan. (AFP Photo)

Cars lie piled up after being hit by the tsunami, close to the airport in Sendai on March 14, 2011. (AFP Photo)

Black thick smokes cover the sky over Tagajo, Miyagi, northern Japan Saturday, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday. (AP Photo)

A man stands to be checked for levels of radiation in Koriyama, northeastern Japan, Sunday, March 13, 2011, two days after a giant quake and tsunami struck the country's northeastern coast. (AP Photo)

A resident leaves messages for family and friends at an evacuation centre in in Natori City in Miyagi prefecture on March 14, 2011. (AFP Photo)

Evacuees have distributed food and drink at a shelter in Minamisanriku, Miyagi, northern Japan Monday, March 14, 2011 following Friday's massive earthquake and the ensuing tsunami. (AP Photo)

A Japanese wedding portrait lays in the rubble in the leveled city of Minamisanriku, in northeastern Japan, Tuesday March 15, 2011. (AP Photo)

The Japanese national flag is at half-staff at the Japanese embassy in Berlin, Germany, Saturday March 12, 2011. The disaster has killed hundreds of people and devastated the country's northeastern coast, where rescuers began slowly arriving Saturday. (AP Photo)

Japanese emergency crews work to free a body as it sits pinned among concrete sea barriers Monday, March 14, 2011, in Toyoma, northern Japan, three days after a giant quake and tsunami struck the country's northeastern coast. (AP)

An ambulance moves carefully along a road amongst piles of debris left by the tsunami in the Takekoma area near the town of Rikuzentakata, some five kms from the coast, in Iwate prefecture on March 14, 2011 three days after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami hit the region.

Economists say it is still too early to assess the cost of the destruction from the record 8.9-magnitude quake and the 10-metre wall of water that laid waste to swathes of the northeastern coast and triggered an atomic emergency. (AFP)

Victims in blue body bags are placed outside a devastated building as rescue workers continue in their mission, after the recent tsunami and earthquake in Natori City in Miyagi prefecture on March 14, 2011.

A new explosion at a nuclear plant in nearby Fukushima prefecture hit punch-drunk Japan on March 14 as it raced to avert a reactor meltdown after a quake-tsunami disaster that is feared to have killed more than 10,000 people. (AFP)

Japanese emergency crews work to free a body as it sits pinned among concrete sea barriers Monday, March 14, 2011, in Toyoma, Japan, three days after a giant quake and tsunami struck the country's northeastern coast. (AP)

Japanese rescue team members transport a body in the town of Watari in Miyagi prefecture on March 14, 2011 three days after a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami devastated the coast of eastern Japan. (AFP)

An official scans a man for radiation at an emergency center Sunday, March 13, 2011, in Koriyama, northeastern Japan, two days after a giant quake and tsunami struck the country's northeastern coast.(AP)

An elderly man checks a list of names of survivors who are in shelters at the Natori City Hall in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture on March 14, 2011 three days after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami hit the region.

Economists say it is still too early to assess the cost of the destruction from the record 8.9-magnitude quake and the 10-metre wall of water that laid waste to swathes of the northeastern coast and triggered an atomic emergency. (AFP)

Residents shelter in an evacuation center at Sendai city in Miyagi prefecture on March 14, 2011. A new explosion at a nuclear plant in nearby Fukushima prefecture hit punch-drunk Japan on March 14 as it raced to avert a reactor meltdown after a quake-tsunami disaster that is feared to have killed more than 10,000 people. (AFP)

People taking a shelter by an evacuation order are provided hot meal in Namiemachi in Fukushima Prefecture (State) as Fukushima Daiichi power plant's Unit 1 affected by a massive earthquake is facing a possible meltdown, Saturday, March 12, 2011, one day after a giant quake and tsunami struck the country's northeastern coast. (AP)

People charge batteries for their mobile phones at the Natori City Hall in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture on March 14, 2011 three days after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami hit the region. (AFP)

Local residents and town staff carry out relief supplies effects from a helicopter in the town of Onagawa in Miyagi prefecture on March 14, 2011 three days after a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami devastated the coast of eastern Japan.(AFP)

People line up with various containers to get fresh water in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Sunday, March 13, 2011, two days after a giant quake and tsunami struck the country's northeastern coast. (AP)

A soldier in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force helps get fresh water to a resident in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Sunday, March 13, 2011, two days after a giant quake and tsunami struck the country's northeastern coast. (AP)

A woman cries amidst debris left after Friday's massive earthquake and the ensuing tsunami, in Natori. (AP)

This picture shows how the tsunami devastated the area of Yuriagi near Muyagi prefecture in Japan. (AP)

A resident of the seaside town of Yotsukura, in northern Japan, clears debris from his home. (AP)

A member of the Japan Self-Defence Forces carries a man in Natori city after the earthquake caused destruction all around.(AFP)

Standing amidst the ruins, a man ruefully looks at the debris sprayed all around him. (AFP)

A man looks over tsunami-drifted debris and mud filling rice paddies in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Saturday morning, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday. (AP)

Residents stranded in a building, right, wait for rescue in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Saturday morning, after the earthquake. (AP)

A tsunami-drifted house sits on the debris in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Saturday morning, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday. (AFP)

Ships drifted by tsunami sit on the land near a port in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Saturday morning, March 12, 2011. (AP)

People walk in a street covered by debris left by a devastating tsunami in Sendai city, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, Saturday morning, March 12, 2011, one day after strong a earthquake hit the area. (AFP)

People wait for rescue operation beside SOS sign written on a ground in Rikuzentakada, Iwate Prefecture, Saturday, March 12, 2011, a day after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday. (AP)

A man walks outside a two-story house, which was destroyed by tsunami, in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, Saturday morning, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday. (AFP)

Japan was struck by a magnitude-8.8 earthquake off its northeastern coast Friday, triggering a 13-foot (4-meter) tsunami that washed away cars and tore away buildings along the coast near the epicenter.(AP)

Tokyo's main airport was closed. A large section of the ceiling at the 1-year-old airport at Ibaraki, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, fell to the floor with a powerful crash.

Waves of tsunami hit residences after a powerful earthquake in Natori, Miyagi prefecture, Japan. (AP)

Flames rise from an oil refinery after a powerful earthquake in Ichihara, Chiba prefecture, Japan. (AP)

Sendai Airport is surrounded by waters in Miyagi prefecture, Japan. (AP)

A building is in flames near Sendai airport, Miyagi prefecture. (AP)

Tsunami swirls near a port in Oarai, Ibaraki prefecture after Japan was struck by a strong earthquake off its northeastern coast on Friday. (AP)

Houses are in flame while the Natori river is flooded over the surrounding area by tsunami tidal waves in Natori city, Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan. (AP)

People wait for buses at a bus terminal near Tokyo railway station as train and bus services were suspended. The largest earthquake in Japan's recorded history slammed the eastern coasts Friday. (AP)

People gather outside Sendai station after a powerful earthquake hit northern Japan on Friday March 11, 2011. The ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coast Friday, killing scores of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control. (AP)

A child reacts to an aftershock at a temporary shelter in Tokyo for people affected by a strong earthquake which hit Japan on Friday. (AP)

In central Tokyo, trains were stopped and passengers walked along the tracks to platforms. NHK said more than 4 million buildings without power in Tokyo and its suburbs.

TV footage showed a large building on fire and bellowing smoke in the Odaiba district of Tokyo.(AFP)

A woman caught in the fury is seen desperately waving a flag and asking for help.

An entire bridge was uprooted due to the sheer force of the devastating earthquake. This was massive.

The owner of a ceramic shop checks his damaged wares following the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Tokyo on March 11, 2011.(AFP)

Dozens of fires were reported in northern prefectures of Fukushima, Sendai, Iwate and Ibaraki. Houses collapsing and landslides were also reported in Miyagi.(AFP)

In various locations along Japan's coast, TV footage showed severe flooding, with dozens of cars, boats and even buildings being carried along by waters. 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.(AP)

The quake that struck 2:46 p.m. 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 8.8.(AP)

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

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.(AP)

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.(AP)

TV announcers urged viewers near the shore to move to strong concrete buildings and stay above the third floor.

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.

Here a washed out scene after the waves swept the area.

The destruction has been massive and scary to say the least.

The tsunami roared over embankments in Sendai city, washing away cars, houses and farm equipment inland before reversing directions and carrying them out to sea

The tsunami roared over embankments in Sendai city, washing away cars, houses and farm equipment inland.

The ceiling in Kudan Kaikan, a large hall in Tokyo, collapsed, injuring an unknown number of people, NHK said.(AFP)

Vehicles are crushed by a collapsed wall at a carpark in Mito city in Ibaraki prefecture on March 11, 2011 after a massive earthquake rocked Japan.(AFP)

Japanese tourists watch a TV news program about a strong earthquake hitting their country at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea.

Black smoke rises from a burning building in Tokyo Bay area after Japan was struck by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake off its northeastern coast on Friday.

A mother and child crouch on a street in Tokyo while an earthquake hits Japan.

Smoke rises from a burning building in Tokyo after Japan was struck by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake off its northeastern coast on Friday.

In this video image taken from Japan's NHK TV, an oil refinery burns in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture Japan.

Warnings have also been issued for Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Chile, Peru. There is no Tsunami warning issued for the Indian Ocean.

A girl here is seen contemplating the loss and the destruction around her.

The signs of ravage were visible all over, with roads caving in and buildings collapsing.

In this video image taken from Japan's NHK TV, ships and boats are washed ashore in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefectur, Japan on Friday March 11, 2011 following a massive earth quake.

Tokyo Fire Department rescue workers arrive at Kudan Kaikan in Tokyo as local media said its ceiling was damaged after a strong earthquake and injured people inside the hall.

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.(AP)

Reporters at the Associated Press Tokyo Bureau in Tokyo take shelter under a table while a strong earthquake strikes eastern Japan Friday afternoon, March 11, 2011.

Hundreds of Oahu residents flocked to the Times Supermarket to purchase water and supplies Thursday, March 10, 2011 in Honolulu. The state of Hawaii is under a tsunami warning due to a large 8.9 earthquake off Japan. The earthquake is believed to have generated a tsumani wave. The Pacific Tsunami Center expects the wave to hit Hawaii at 2:59 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time. (AP)

Train passengers watch TV at Tokyo's Shinagawa train station to get first-hand information on a very strong earthquake on Friday March 11, 2011.(AP)

A station staff directs passengers at Tokyo's Shinagawa train station after a magnitude 8.9 earthquake slammed Japan's eastern coast on Friday March 11, 2011.(AP)

People walk past a ruined bus stop which was crushed by part of fallen outer wall of a nearby building in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture (state) after Japan was struck by a strong earthquake off its northeastern coast Friday, March 11, 2011.

A magnitude 8.9 earthquake slammed Japan's northeastern coast Friday, unleashing a 13-foot (4-meter) tsunami that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland. Fires triggered by the quake burned out of control up and down the coast.

In this video image taken from Japan's NHK TV, water floods across the runway as airplanes are seen parked near the airport building at Sendai Airport, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan Friday March 11, 2011 following a massive earth quake.

In this video image taken from Japan's NHK TV, ships and boats are washed ashore in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefectur, Japan Friday March 11, 2011.

In this video image taken from Japan's NHK TV, water floods over the runway at Sendai Airport, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan Friday March 11, 2011 following a massive earth quake.(AP)

Waves of tsunami hit residences after a powerful earthquake in Natori, Miyagi prefecture, Japan, Friday. The largest earthquake in Japan's recorded history slammed the eastern coast Friday. (AP)

Waves hit the deserted Waikiki shoreline on March 11, 2011 in Honolulu, Hawaii. An earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale hit the northeast coast of Japan causing tsunami alerts throughout the Pacific Ocean. Thousands along the coast are evacuating their homes in Hawaii as the state prepares for tsunami waves. (AFP)

Specialist Christopher Gildea watches images from the earthquake in Japan on a television screen at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Friday, March 11, 2011. (AP)

Traders watch developments of the earthquake in Japan on a television screen on their floor at the New York Stock Exchange Friday, March 11, 2011. (AP)