Japan's most powerful earthquake
>> Sunday, March 13, 2011
Japan's most powerful earthquake since records began has struck the north-east coast, triggering a massive tsunami.
A state of emergency has been declared at a nuclear power plant, where pressure has exceeded normal levels.
Officials say 350 people are dead and about 500 missing, but it is feared the final death toll will be much higher.
In one ward alone in Sendai, a port city in Miyagi prefecture, 200 to 300 bodies were found.
Thousands of people living near the Fukushima nuclear power plant have been ordered to evacuate.
Four trains are missing along the coast, says Japan Railways; and a ship carrying 100 people was swept away
Fire has engulfed swathes of the coast in Miyagi prefecture's Kesennuma city, one-third of which is reportedly under water
A major explosion hit a petrochemical plant in Sendai; further south a huge blaze swept an oil refinery in Ichihara city, Chiba prefecture
Some 1,800 homes are reported to have been destroyed in the city of Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture
A dam burst in north-eastern Fukushima prefecture, sweeping away homes, Kyodo news agency reports
At least 20 people were injured in Tokyo when the roof of a hall collapsed on to a graduation ceremony
