Massive Quake, Tsunami Hit Japan

An 8.9 earthquake hit northeast Japan on Friday—the most powerful in the country’s recorded history. The quake triggered tsunamis, with waves over 30 feet high in the coastal city of Sendai, where 200 to 300 bodies have been found so far. Thousands more people are missing; even a whole passenger train is missing in one coastal area. The event also triggered a state of emergency at the Fukishima nuclear power plant, where the cooling system failed after the reactor shut down. In the aftermath of the quake and tsunamis, large swaths of northern Japan are on fire.