Earthquake in Japan Update

Friday’s 8.9 magnitude earthquake, one of the biggest ever recorded, unleashed a terrifying tsunami that engulfed towns and cities on Japan’s northeastern coast, destroying everything in its path. Japan’s Prime Minister, Naoto Kan said it was an “unprecedented national disaster”.

The latest new from Japan reports that there has been an explosion at a Japanese nuclear plant, which has triggered fears of a meltdown. An explosion at the Fukushima atomic plant blew off the roof and walls around one of its reactors on Saturday. Japan is desperately trying to bring the overheating reactor under control to avoid further disaster.

In the small port town of Minamisanriku, alone some 10,000 people are unaccounted for, which is more than half the population of the town.

People have reported seeing hundreds of bodies washed up on the shore near the city of Sendai. Up to 400 bodies were recovered in Rikuzentakata, a coastal town of some 23,000 people.