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Japan's Earthquake

Japan is struggling to recover after one of the strongest earthquakes ever measured hit the country on Friday. The powerful quake began in the ocean off Japan’s east coast, creating a series of enormous waves known as a tsunami.

There are currently more than 1,800 people confirmed dead and almost 2,300 have been reported reported missing. But police fear the numbers are much higher. They estimate that more than 10,000 have died.

The earthquake struck Japan around 2:26 p.m. local time. Many adults were busy at work, and young people were still in school. Scientists measured the quake’s magnitude at 8.9, using a system that rates an earthquake’s severity from 0 to 10.

Based on that measurement, this earthquake was 8,000 times more powerful than the 6.7 quake that Christchurch, New Zealand.

The tsunami’s first wave to crash against the shore near Sendai was more than 33 feet high. Entire towns have been washed away by the tsunami. Cities close to the earthquake's epicenter were demolished by the waves. Newspapers report that by the time rescue workers got to Natori, there were few people left to rescue.

Around 350,000 people are now homeless because of the disaster. Highways, airports, and train transportation have been shut down across the country. Many buildings caught fire after gas pipelines exploded upon the tsunami’s impact.

Officials are also worried about nuclear power stations that may have been damaged by the tsunami. Nuclear power can safely create electricity, but damaged power stations release poisonous gases into the air.