An 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan on Friday early afternoon, shaking office buildings, shutting down train lines and causing a 13′ tsunami north of Tokyo.
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.
We are still waiting for more details on the subsequent damage reports but we hope our family and friends in Japan–and those in the tsunami zones– are safe. Click here for live online coverage from Japan.
