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Quake, tsunami slam Japan

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Houses are in flames while the Natori river floods the surrounding area by tsunami tidal waves in Natori city, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun,AP Photo/Yasushi Kanno
A massive tsunami engulfs a residential area after a powerful earthquake in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: Kyodo via AP Images
Part of houses swallowed by tsunami burn in Sendai, Miyagi Prefectureafter Japan was struck by a strong earthquake off its northeastern coast, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
An aerial view shows a refinery facility burning in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP
People at a book store react as the store's ceiling falls in Sendai, northern Japan, Friday, March 11, 2011. Japan was struck by a magnitude-8.9 earthquake off its northeastern coast Friday, triggering a 13-foot tsunami that washed away cars and tore away buildings along the coast near the epicenter.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
Earthquake-triggered tsunami waves sweep along Iwanuma in northern Japan on Friday March 11, 2011. The magnitude-8.9 earthquake slammed Japan's eastern coast Friday, unleashing a 13-foot tsunami that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
A tsunami tidal wave washes away houses in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, March 11, 2011, after strong earthquakes hit the area.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun/AP Photo/Keichi Nakane
A tsunami smashes vehicles and houses in Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture, Japan, March 11, 2011. A massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake shook Japan, unleashing a powerful tsunami that sent ships crashing into the shore and carried cars through the streets of coastal towns.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images
A huge tidal wave covered the ports in Kesennuma, Miyagi and Miyako, in Iwate Prefecture, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images
Buildings are damaged by an earthquake-triggered tsunami in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, Friday, March 11, 2011. The ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes on record slammed Japan's eastern coasts.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
A vehicle washed away by tsunami, sits over a guard rail in Rikuzentakata, Iwate, northern Japan Saturday, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
Sendai Airport and its vicinity are submerged after a tsunami following a powerful quake in a photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: Kyodo via AP Images
Sendai Airport is surrounded by waters in Miyagi prefecture, Japan, after a ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coast, Friday, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
Container cargoes gets displaced in Sendai, northern Japan, Saturday, March 12, 2011. Japan launched a massive military rescue operation Saturday after a giant, quake-fed tsunami killed hundreds of people and turned the northeastern coast into a swampy wasteland, while authorities braced for a possible meltdown at a nuclear reactor.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye
Airplanes and cars are covered with debris at Sendai Airport in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, March 11, 2011, after a tsunami following a powerful quake hit Japan.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: Kyodo via AP Images
Vehicles are crushed by a collapsed wall at a carpark in Mito city in Ibaraki prefecture on March 11, 2011, after a massive earthquake rocked Japan.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: Getty
Buildings burn in Yamada town, Iwate prefecture (state) after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake hit Friday March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/The Yomiuri Shimbun
Vehicles rest on a damaged road at a carpark in Yabuki, in southern Fukushima Prefecture, March 11, 2011, after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake rocked Japan.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: Darren Gubbins/AFP/Getty Images
Vehicles are crushed by a collapsed road at a carpark in Yabuki, southern Fukushima Prefecture, March 11, 2011, after an earthquake rocked Japan.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: Darren Gubbins/AFP/Getty Images
A worker inspects a caved-in section of the Joban Motorway near Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, after one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in Japan slammed its eastern coast, Friday, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Nexco East Japan via Kyodo News
A man looks over tsunami-drifted debris and mud filling rice paddies in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Saturday morning, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
Tsunami swirls near a port in Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture, after Japan was struck by a strong earthquake off its northeastern coast Friday, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
Black smoke raises from a building in Tokyo's waterfront Daiba, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images
People gather outside Sendai station after a powerful earthquake hit northern Japan on Friday, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
People leave a department store in Sendai, Fukushima prefecture, March 11, 2011. A massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit Japan unleashing a monster 13-foot-high tsunami that sent ships crashing into the shore and carried cars through the streets of coastal towns.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: JIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images
Cars and other debris swept away by tsunami tidal waves are seen in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit the area, Friday, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun,AP Photo/Keichi Nakane
An aerial shot shows vehicles ready for shipping being carried by a tsunami tidal wave at Hitachinaka city in Ibaraki prefecture on March 11, 2011. A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake shook Japan, unleashing a powerful tsunami that sent ships crashing into the shore and carried cars through the streets of coastal towns.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images
Destroyed oil tank at generating power plant in Minami Soma, Fukushima, northern Japan is pictured Saturday, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
Broken bottles litter on the floor of a food shop in Sendai after a powerful earthquake hit northern Japan on Friday, March 11, 2011.

The ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coast Friday, killing scores of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
Broken China is scattered on the floor at a porcelain shop following a massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan on March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images
Vessels get stranded in Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan, Saturday, March 12, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: Kenji Shimizu
An earthquake-triggered tsunami washes away a warehouse and vehicles in Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture, Japan, Friday, March 11, 2011. The ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coasts.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/The Yomiuri Shimbun, Keiichi Nakane
Fishing boats get stranded on shore at Oarai town, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, after a ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coasts Friday, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
Vehicles remain overturned at Oarai town, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, after a ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded, slammed Japan's eastern coasts, Friday, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
Flames engulf buildings in an industrial complex in Sendai, northern Japan, Saturday, March 12, 2011. Japan launched a massive military rescue operation Saturday after a giant, quake-fed tsunami killed hundreds of people and turned the northeastern coast into a swampy wasteland, while authorities braced for a possible meltdown at a nuclear reactor.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye
Train passengers wait at Tokyo's Shinagawa station to get first-hand information on train service which was halted following a very strong earthquake on Friday, March 11, 2011. The quake unleashed a 13-foot tsunami that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Hiro Komae
Stranded commuters wrap themselves in blankets as they brace for a chilly evening at a park in Yokohama, near Tokyo, following a strong earthquake that hit eastern Japan on Friday, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama
Travelers rest on the floor, stranded, at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo after a massive earthquake, Friday, March 11, 2011. The ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coasts.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Wally Santana
Travelers rest on the floor stranded at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo after a massive earthquake, Friday, March 11, 2011. The ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coasts.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Wally Santana
Travelers rest on the floor stranded at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo after a massive earthquake, Friday, March 11, 2011. The ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coasts.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Wally Santana
Elderly women wrapped themselves in blankets after being evacuated to the street after a powerful earthquake in Tokyo, Friday, March 11, 2011. A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes on record slammed Japan's eastern coasts Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
People watch the aftermath of tsunami tidal waves covering a port at Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, after strong earthquakes hit the area, Friday, March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun,AP Photo/Keichi Nakane
An aerial shot shows a ship sitting on the ground in the port of Hitachinaka city in Ibaraki prefecture on March 11, 2011 after a tsunami tidal wave hit following a a large earthquake.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images
This aerial shot shows the tsunami tidal waves moving upstream (left side) in the Naka river at Hitachinaka city in Ibaraki prefecture on March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images
A factory building has collapsed in Sukagawa city, Fukushima prefecture, in northern Japan on March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: FUKUSHIMA MINPO/AFP/Getty Images
Residents check the damaged done on a road a house in Sukagawa city, Fukushima prefecture, in northern Japan on March 11, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: UKUSHIMA MINPO/AFP/Getty Images
Houses are left damaged by landslides after an 8.9 magnitude strong earthquake struck on March 11 off the coast of north-eastern Japan, on March 12, 2011 in Fukushima, Japan.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images
Minamisanriku town is submerged after Friday's strong earthquake-triggered tsunami in Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan, Saturday, March 12, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
Residents looks over destroyed buildings half submerged in water from tsunami in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Saturday morning, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
A father and child who lost their home stand in front of debris in Sendai, northern Japan Saturday, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
A fishing boat drifted by tsunami sits on its side on the land near a port in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, Saturday morning, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
People wait for rescue on the rooftop of a ruined building tangled with tsunami-drifted debris in Rikuzentakada, Iwate Prefecture, Saturday morning, March 12, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
People head to an evacuation center in Sendai, northern Japan Saturday, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
A derailed train lies near a home in Matsushima, Miyagi prefecture, northern Japan, Saturday, March 12, 2011, after being washed away by an earthquake-triggered tsunami. The powerful tsunami created by one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded swept away Japan's east coast Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: Anonymous
A man rides through a flooded street in Sendai, northern Japan Saturday, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: Anonymous
People look at a burning port of Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, engulfed by dense smoke and flames Friday, March 11, 2011, after a strong earthquake-triggered tsunami hit the area, igniting leaked crude oil in the water.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/The Yomiuri Shimbun, Keiichi Nakane
An SOS sign is drawn on the partially snow-covered ground of a school in Minami Sanrikucho in Miyagi Prefecture (State), northern Japan, Saturday morning, March 12, 2011, a day after a strong earthquake-triggered tsunami hit the area.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/The Yomiuri Shimbun, Naoki Ueda
Container cargoes spread out on the ground in an industrial complex in Sendai, northern Japan, Saturday, March 12, 2011. Japan launched a massive military rescue operation Saturday after a giant, quake-fed tsunami killed hundreds of people and turned the northeastern coast into a swampy wasteland, while authorities braced for a possible meltdown at a nuclear reactor.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye
Fleeing to higher ground following a tsunami warning, local residents look out over a destroyed landscape in Rikuzentakata, northeastern Japan, on Saturday March 12, 2011, one day after a giant quake and tsunami struck the country's northeastern coast.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
Cargo containers are seen scattered following Japan's biggest recorded earthquake in Sendai, northern Japan, on Saturday, March 12, 2011.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
A firefighter and official check the damage of the city, caused by Saturday's earthquake and tsunami, in Kesenuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Saturday morning, March 12, 2011, after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
Volunteer firefighters walk along train tracks covered with tsunami-drifted debris in Rikuzentakada, Iwate Prefecture, Saturday morning, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
People stand on the roof of an elementary school in Sendai, northern Japan as they take shelter Saturday, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
Washed out vehicles are mingled with landslide and debris in Minami Soma, Fukushima, northern Japan Saturday, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News
Residents walk through urban area devastated by tsunami in Natori, Miyagi, northern Japan Saturday, March 12, 2011 after Japan's biggest recorded earthquake slammed into its eastern coast Friday.

PICTURES: Tsunami reactions around the world
PICTURES: Search and rescue in Japan
PICTURES: World's biggest tsunamis
PICTURES: How earthquakes are measured
PICTURES: Deadliest earthquakes

Credit: AP Photo/Kyodo News

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