Waves engulf a residential area in Natori. The Japanese government ordered thousand of people residing near a nuclear power plant to evacuate because the plant’s system was unable to cool the reactor. Difficulties were reported at two other Japanese plants, as well. A tsunami warning was extend to Japan, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Chile. (Reuters)
Houses are swept by water in Natori City. Oil prices have decreased after markets have evaluated damage to Japan’s refinery capacity and the impact on overall crude demand. Japan’s Nikkei Stock average fell 1.7%. The quake will most likely negatively affect Japan’s economy, which is already poor due to long-term deflationary pressures. (Reuters)
Houses and buildings burn following the quake in Iwate Prefecture. Japanese stocks tumbled to their lowest level in five weeks Friday. The assumption that Portugal will have to seek financial assistance prompted a sell-off in risky assets. (Reuters)
Streets are flooded in Kesennuma city after the tsunami. Officials said another 110 were confirmed dead, with 350 people missing. Police also said 544 people were injured. The death toll was likely to continue climbing given the scale of Friday's disaster. (Reuters)
Sendai Airport is flooded after a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan spawned a ferocious tsunami Friday that swept away boats, cars and homes. Japanese police say 200-300 bodies have been found in the northeastern coastal area. The tsunami is the largest in Japan’s history recorded at 23 feet (7 meters), followed by more than 50 aftershocks. (Reuters)
Natural gas storage tanks burn at the Cosmo oil refinery in Ichihar a city, Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo. Hours after the disaster began, government officials initiated talks on how to pay for the reconstruction work that will be necessary. (Reuters)
A whirlpool is seen near Oarai City, Ibaraki Prefecture in northeastern Japan. “The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan,” Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a press conference. (Reuters)
Boats are swept by a wave after the tsunami hit Asahikawa city. Villages and cities along a 1,300-mile stretch of coastline have been affected and the damage has reached as far as Tokyo, several hundred miles away. (Reuters)
Houses burn at night following an earthquake in Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan. Japan’s worst earthquake prior to March 11 was in Kanto in 1923, an 8.3 magnitude temblor. (Reuters)
Cars and airplanes swept by the tsunami are pictured among debris at Sendai Airport. Most major U.S. airlines have canceled flights to and from Japan Friday and service to the country has been limited from the U.K., India and Malaysia, among others. (Reuters)
Buildings burn following an earthquake in Yamada town in the Iwate Prefecture. Dozens of fires have been reported in northern prefectures including Sendai, Ibaraki and Fukushima. (Reuters)
An office building burning in Tokyo. In a press conference Friday afternoon, President Obama said that the U.S. “stands ready to help” Japan. (Reuters)