Japan's most powerful earthquake since records began has struck the north-east coast, triggering a massive tsunami.
Cars, ships and buildings were swept away by a wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude tremor, which struck about 400km (250 miles) north-east of
In the centre of
Even after the most violent earthquake anyone could remember the crowds were orderly and calm. The devastation is further to the north, along the Pacific coast.
There a tsunami triggered by the quake reached 10km (six miles) inland in places carrying houses, buildings, boats and cars with it. In the city of
The quake was the fifth-largest in the world since 1900 and nearly 8,000 times stronger than the one which devastated
Measured at 8.9 by the US Geological Survey, it struck at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) at a depth of about 24km.
The tsunami rolled across the Pacific at 800km/h (500mph) - as fast as a jetliner - before hitting
Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate coastal areas in the states of
The biggest waves of more than 6-7ft (about 2m) were recorded near
A tsunami warning extended across the Pacific to North and South America, where many other coastal regions were evacuated, but the alert was later lifted in most parts, including the
Strong waves hit