Devastating scenes from Japan. An earthquake measuring a massive 8.9 on the Richter Scale has struck Sendai region and Tokyo. A 33 foot high tsunami wave swept across the region earlier today. Many people are mising and the damage to land and property will probably be counted in billions.
This incredible graphic shows the time it takes for the tsunami wave to travle across the Pacific. South American nations have the longest warning time in this case. Ecuador has already started an evacuation along its coastlines.
Indonesia is also bracing itself for a tsunami, though thankfully nothing on the scale of the 2004 Boxing Day wave.
Japan is famous for its volcanoes and earthquakes as it sits at a key geological position on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Japan has an incredible amount of seismic activity each year and that is why Japanese homes used to be made of paper, and how they created skyscrapers that can swing and sway during earthquakes.
Tokyo's two main airports, Narita and Haneda are both closed at present, but hopefully it won't be long before Japan is back to normal and the bullet trains - designed to stop during an earthquake - are back running again.
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