On This Day | Japan hit by worst earthquake and tsunami in its history in 2011 – from the SCMP archive
On this day 15 years ago, one of the most powerful earthquakes on record triggered a devastating tsunami in Japan, killing more than 18,000
This article was first published on March 11, 2011.
By Greg Torode, Martin Wong and Agencies
A farm building engulfed in flames as it disintegrated in giant waves; a minibus tumbling end over end, pushed ahead of a 10-metre wall of water - the tsunami triggered yesterday afternoon by the largest earthquake in Japanese history produced scenes of horror along the country’s northeast coast.
At least 1,000 people were killed as the wall of water swept away everything in its path. The death toll is expected to soar today as rescuers reach the worst hit areas around Sendai, 300 kilometres north of Tokyo.
The 8.9-magnitude quake struck at 1.46pm Hong Kong time; it was centred about 125 kilometres off the coast and occurred at a relatively shallow depth - 10 kilometres under the seabed.
The tsunami crashed ashore soon afterwards, barrelling over houses, factories, farms, fishing boats and the local airport and triggering alerts across East Asia and the Pacific. People in low-lying parts of Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hawaii were evacuated.