Japan Hit by 8.9 Magnitude Earthquake

Only about 1.5 hours ago, Japan was hit by a large earthquake, resulting in massive destruction of buildings, presumable high death tolls and a large impact on the international market.

The quake struck 382km northeast of Tokyo at 2.46pm local time (4.46pm AEDST), and was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks, including one of 7.4-magnitude about 30 minutes later.

I was just watching a footage, where the announcer was on a helicopter, right above the scene of destruction. Water was washing away farms, cars and homes in the Miyagi prefecture. In fact, a large ship was swept away by tsunami currents, ramming it directly into a breakwater in Kesennuma city.Waves have also affected Onahama city in Fukushima prefecture and continuous widespread destruction is predicted.

Recent news also showed an oil refinery in Chiba prefecture near Toyko catching on fire, smoke seen billowing from the industrial site. Even debris being swept along by the water had caught fire, with the blaze dragged through the town by the wave.This could have detimental effects on the environment.