Hundreds killed in quake, tsunami in Japan

TOKYO, Mar 11(Agencies): A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control. Hours later, the tsunami hit Hawaii and warnings blanketed the Pacific, as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire US West Coast. Police said 200 to 300 bodies were found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai. Another 88 were confirmed killed and 349 were missing. The death toll was likely to continue climbing given the scale of the disaster. The magnitude 8.9 offshore quake unleashed a 23-foot (seven-meter) tsunami and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0. Dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the epicenter. "The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a news conference. The government ordered thousands of residents near a nuclear power plant in Onahama city to evacuate because the plant's system was unable to cool the reactor. The reactor was not leaking radiation but its core remained hot even after a shutdown. The plant is 170 miles (270 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo. Trouble was reported at two other nuclear plants as well, but there was no radiation leak at any. Even for a country used to earthquakes, this one was of horrific proportions because of the tsunami that crashed ashore, swallowing everything in its path as it surged several miles (kilometers) inland before retreating. The apocalyptic images of surging water broadcast by Japanese TV networks resembled scenes from a Hollywood disaster movie A tsunami warning was extended across the Pacific to North and South America. The Red Cross in Geneva warned that the tsunami waves could be higher than some Pacific islands. Coastal areas in the Philippines, Hawaii and other Pacific islands were evacuated ahead of the tsunami's expected arrival. New Zealand later downgraded its alert to a marine threat, meaning strong and unusual currents were expected. The first waves to hit Hawaii from a tsunami triggered by a massive earthquake off Japan washed up onshore at Waikiki on Friday, according to live TV images. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported seeing wave changes at Waianae Harbor at around 3:24 a.m (1324 GMT), shortly before the relatively small waves were seen at Waikiki. A meteorological official in Indonesia says only a four-inch (10-centimeter) wave hit the North Maluku islands and caused no known damage or injuries. Meanwhile, insurance stocks worldwide have fallen in response to a tsunami and earthquake in Japan. World equities slid and the safe-haven yen steadied in volatile trade Friday after the huge earthquake in major economic power Japan, as dealers tracked a eurozone summit and unrest in the Arab world. Shares in large insurers such as Munich Re fell in anticipation of big payouts to cover the cost of the disaster. Asian and European stock markets also fell, and the dollar briefly gained about 0.5 per cent against the yen to 83.275 yen, before snapping back again.