TOKYO: A devastating tsunami triggered by the biggest earthquake on record in Japan looked set to kill at least 1,000 people along the northeastern coast Friday after a wall of water swept away everything in its path. The government warned there could be a small radiation leak from a nuclear reactor whose cooling system was knocked out by the quake. About 3,000 residents in the area some 240 km north of Tokyo had been moved out of harm's way. A tsunami warning was extended to a number of areas in the Pacific, Southeast Asia and Latin America, including Japan, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Chile. In the Philippines, authorities ordered an evacuation of coastal communities, but no unusual waves were reported. Underscoring grave concerns about the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, the US air force delivered coolant to avert a rise in the temperature of its nuclear rods, but officials said a leak was still possible because pressure would have to be released. The unfolding disaster in the wake of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and 10-meter high tsunami prompted offers of search and rescue help from 45 countries. China said rescuers were ready to help with quake relief while US President Barack Obama told Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan the United States would assist in any way. Japan's Meteorological Agency said a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck the central, mountainous part of the country hours after the massive quake. Dozens of aftershocks have rattled Japan's northeast since Friday's magnitude 8.9 temblor, but the most recent quake was in an entirely different location. The latest quake hit early Saturday at a depth of 10 km, about 170 km north of Tokyo. It caused buildings in Tokyo to sway. There were no immediate reports of damage. “This is likely to be a humanitarian relief operation of epic proportions,” Japan expert Sheila Smith of the US-based Council on Foreign Relations wrote in a commentary. Stunning TV footage showed a muddy torrent of water carrying cars and wrecked homes at high speed across farmland near the coastal city of Sendai, home to one million people and which lies 300 km northeast of Tokyo. Ships had been flung onto a harbor wharf, where they lay helplessly on their side. Boats, cars and trucks were tossed around like toys in the water after a small tsunami hit the town of Kamaichi in northern Japan. Kyodo news agency reported that contact had been lost with four trains in the coastal area. Daylight looked set to reveal further death and devastation, especially after two strong aftershocks that struck during the night in the northwest of Japan's main island. Japanese politicians pushed for an emergency budget to fund relief efforts after Kan asked them to “save the country”, Kyodo news agency reported. Domestic media said the death toll was expected to exceed 1,000, most of whom appeared to have drowned by churning waters after the mid-afternoon earthquake. The extent of the destruction along a lengthy stretch of coastline suggested the death toll could rise significantly. Even in a nation accustomed to earthquakes, the devastation was shocking. “A big area of Sendai city near the coast, is flooded. We are hearing that people who were evacuated are stranded,” said Rie Sugimoto, a reporter for NHK television in Sendai. “About 140 people, including children, were rushed to an elementary school and are on the rooftop but they are surrounded by water and have nowhere else to go.” Japan has prided itself on its speedy tsunami warning system, which has been upgraded several times since its inception in 1952, including after a 7.8 magnitude quake triggered a 30-meter high wave before a warning was given. In Tokyo, residents who had earlier fled swaying buildings jammed the streets trying to make their way home Friday evening after much of the city's public transport was halted. The quake also sparked at least 80 fires in cities and towns along the coast, Kyodo said. Other Japanese nuclear power plants and oil refineries were shut down and one refinery was ablaze. Television footage showed an intense fire in the waterfront area near Sendai. Auto plants, electronics factories and refineries shut, roads buckled and power to millions of homes and businesses was knocked out. Several airports, including Tokyo's Narita, were closed and rail services halted. All ports were shut. Meanwhile, thousands fled homes in Indonesia after officials warned of a tsunami up to 2 meters high, but waves of only 10 cm were measured. No big waves came to the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory, either. The first waves hit Hawaii about 9 A.M. EST (1400 GMT). A tsunami about 2.1 meters high was recorded on Maui and a wave at least a meter high was recorded on Oahu and Kauai. Officials warned that the waves would continue and could get larger. Thousands of people fled their homes along the California coast Friday as the tsunami began hitting the US West Coast after rolling through Hawaii. But the giant wall of water appeared to have lost much of its energy as it roared thousands of kilometers across the Pacific Ocean toward North America, according to initial reports from officials in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The tsunami was expected to reach South America's coastline later Friday.
