8.9 Earthquake Hits Japan, Followed by Tsunami

A building burns after an earthquake in the Odaiba district of Tokyo Japan March 11, 2011. A massive 8.9 magnitude quake hit northeast Japan on Friday, causing many injuries, fires and a four-metre (13-ft) tsunami along parts of the country's coastline.

Japan was struck by a 8.9 earthquake off the northeastern coast of the island on Friday afternoon at 2:46 P.M. local time. Initially reported as a weaker earthquake, buildings in Tokyo shook for several minutes.

The quake struck right off of Honshu, Japan's most populous island, approximately 200 miles away from Tokyo. A tsunami warning has been issued, with warnings that waves of up to 20 feet high could strike Japan's shores.

Several buildings in Japan are reported to be on fire. All transportation systems, including airports, have been closed in Tokyo.

Warnings and watches have been issued for a wide area including Japan, Russia, Guam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Hawaii. Reports say that a tsunami 13-foot high has already hit Japan. The Miyagi prefecture, closest to the epicenter, is expected to see the worst of the damage.

In Taiwan, the tsunami is expected to arrive at 9:30 GMT.

So far, one woman has been reported dead; the Japanese media is reporting several injuries. Al Jazeera and Japan's NHK TV currently has live footage of the event. The earthquake comes at the heels of another 7.2 earthquake that struck Japan earlier this week. It is the biggest earthquake to hit the country in almost 300 years.

news at here

video here (somehow I can't post the video here..so go to that link)

p/s: Sabah,Sarawak jugak dalam langkah berjaga-jaga..How Asia is Prepping for the Waves??