The earthquake that struck the Asian country measured 9.1 on the Richter scale, and within minutes, the first waves began to be felt.
The 2011 Japan earthquake was so powerful it shifted the Earth - But how fast did the tsunami arrive?
The world was hit by a seismic shock on Wednesday as a strong earhtquake hit Japan. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the quake registered a magnitude of 7.1 and was in the area around Uki City and Hikawa, and had a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles)..
The full extent of the damage remains unclear, but the situation is rapidly evolving. Tsunami warning have been issued not only in Kumamoto Prefecture, but also in the neighboring Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki Prefectures.
The alerts have drawn comparisons to past disasters, such as the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the 2004 Indian Ocean catastrophe.
A chilling reminder of 2011
March 11, 2011, remains one of the darkest days in Japan’s modern history. But the disaster began two days earlier, when a magnitude 7.2 foreshock rattled the region. Then, on March 11, a magnitude 9.1 quake struck off the coast, unleashing a devastating tsunami within 30 minutes.
Waves as high as 130 feet slammed into Japan’s northeastern coast, killing over 15,000 people and leaving 2,500 still unaccounted for. The destruction was so severe it triggered a nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
The meltdown at Fukushima was classified at the same severity level as the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Radiation forced the evacuation of a 12.5-mile radius, and millions of gallons of contaminated water spilled into the Pacific Ocean.
The long-term health effects remain difficult to quantify, as radiation-related illnesses often take years to manifest.
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