【新唐人2011年3月12日讯】当地时间11号下午2点46分左右，日本东北部仙台附近海域发生8.9级强烈地震。地震及其引发的海啸迄今已造成至少500人死亡，大量人员受伤或失踪。这是日本140年来最强烈的的一次地震。（画面是电视台英语报导）
Japanese television airs footage from the aftermath of Japan’s biggest earthquake on record.
The quake hit the northeast coast Friday, triggering a 10-meter tsunami that has already killed hundreds of people and swept away everything in its path.
The extent of the destruction suggests the death toll could rise significantly.
A tsunami warning was issued for almost the entire Pacific basin, although alerts were lifted for some countries, including Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.
Some residents living near nuclear plants have been told to evacuate but the government says no radiation was leaking. It said the evacuation was a precaution after a reactor cooling malfunction.
The quake, the most powerful since Japan started keeping records 140 years ago, sparked at least 80 fires in cities and towns along the coast.
A ship carrying 100 people had been swept away. One train is still unaccounted for.
The earthquake is the fifth most powerful to hit the world in the past century.
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters.
