Huge tsunami slams coastal Japan after 8.9 quake

TOKYO: A massive 8.9 magnitude quake hit northeast Japan on Friday, triggering a 10-metre tsunami that swept away everything in its path, including houses, cars, farm buildings on fire and boats, media and witnesses said.

At least one person was killed in Fukushima prefecture, north of Tokyo where four million homes were without power. The quake caused many injuries, fires and a wall of water across the coast, prompting warnings to people to move to higher ground.

There were several strong aftershocks. In the capital Tokyo, buildings shook violently.

TV pictures showed a vast wall of water carrying the debris and even fires across a large swathe of coastal farmland near the city of Sendai, which has a population of one million.

Public broadcaster NHK showed flames and black smoke billowing from a building in Odaiba, a Tokyo suburb, and bullet trains to the north of the country were halted.

Black smoke was also pouring out of an industrial area in Yokohama’s Isogo area. TV footage showed boats, cars and trucks floating in water after a small tsunami hit the town of Kamaichi in northern Japan. An overpass, location unknown, appeared to have collapsed into the water.

Kyodo news agency said there were reports of fires in Sendai where waves carried cars across the runway at the airport.

The western prefecture of Wakayama ordered 20,000 people to evacuate after further tsunami warnings.

“WORST IN 20 YEARS”

“The building shook for what seemed a long time and many people in the newsroom grabbed their helmets and some got under their desks,” Reuters correspondent Linda Sieg said in Tokyo.

“It was probably the worst I have felt since I came to Japan more than 20 years ago.”

The Tokyo stock market extended losses after the quake. The central bank said it would do everything to ensure financial stability.

Passengers on a subway line in Tokyo screamed and grabbed other passengers” hands. The shaking was so bad it was hard to stand, said Reuters reporter Mariko Katsumura.

Hundreds of office workers and shoppers spilled into Hitotsugi street, a shopping street in Akasaka in downtown Tokyo.

Household goods ranging from toilet paper to clingfilm were flung into the street from outdoor shelves in front of a drugstore.

Crowds gathered in front of televisions in a shop next to the drugstore for details. After the shaking from the first quake subsided, crowds were watching and pointing to construction cranes on an office building up the street with voices saying, “They”re still shaking!”, “Are they going to fall?”
Asagi Machida, 27, a web designer in Tokyo, sprinted from a coffee shop when the quake hit.

“The images from the New Zealand earthquake are still fresh in my mind so I was really scared. I couldn”t believe such a big earthquake was happening in Tokyo.”

The US trendpk.comlogical Survey earlier verified a magnitude of 7.9 at a depth of 15.1 miles and located the quake 81 miles east of Sendai, on the main island of Honshu. It later upgraded it to 8.9.

A police car drove down Hitotsugi Street, lights flashing, announcing through a bullhorn that there was still a danger of shaking.

Japan”s northeast Pacific coast, called Sanriku, has suffered from quakes and tsunamis in the past and a 7.2 quake struck on Wednesday. In 1933, a magnitude 8.1 quake in the area killed more than 3,000 people. Last year fishing facilities were damaged after by a tsunami caused by a strong tremor in Chile.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas. The country accounts for about 20 percent of the world”s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

Seven dead, Hundreds Injured in Iran quake

At least seven people have died and hundreds more were injured in a 6.5-magnitude earthquake which struck southeastern Iran.

The late Monday quake, with epicentre near the town of Hosseinabad in Kerman province, was followed by 22 tremors, including one of 5.0 magnitude, the agency said quoting the geophysics department of Tehran university.

“So far damages have been concentrated in villages in the areas of Sahraj and seven dead and hundreds of injured have been removed from the debris,” Mehr quoted Kerman governor Esmail Najjar as saying.

“Considering the damages the death toll is expected to rise,” he said.
The quake struck at 10:12 pm (18:42 GMT) Monday and was even felt in the bordering province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

Mohsen Salehi, head of disaster management of Kerman province, told state news agency IRNA late on Monday that the communication lines in the area were down and the quake was followed by mild tremors.

State media reported that the quake affected region was largely mountainous and hence access to it was cut off making it difficult for relief to reach the victims.

Hosseinabad lies near the city of Bam, the site of the deadliest earthquake to hit Iran in recent times.

Tsunami warning after strong quake off Indonesia

JAKARTA: Earthquake monitoring agencies issued a tsunami warning on Monday after a powerful tremor measuring more than 7 on the Richter scale under the sea off the west coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island.

The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at 7.5, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a local tsunami watch was in effect but a wider tsunami threat was not seen.

Indonesia’s earthquake agency also issued a tsunami warning. It said the quake hit 78 km northwest off South Pagai, one of the Mentawai islands, at a depth of 10 km. The agency measured the quake at 7.2.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties from the earthquake or any subsequent tsunami.

In December 2004, a tsunami caused by an earthquake of more than 9 magnitude off Sumatra killed more than 226,000 people.

It was the deadliest tsunami on record. AGENCIES

Magnitude 5.9 quake hits near Costa Rican capital

SAN JOSE: A moderate 5.9 magnitude earthquake shook Costa Rica’s capital on Friday, startling residents and knocking items off shelves but causing no significant damage.

Some people fled their houses, alarmed by the quake that struck 30 miles (45 km) from San Jose. The tremor occurred at a depth of 60.9 miles (98 km), the U.S. Geological Survey said.

While earthquakes of that magnitude can cause significant destruction, there were no immediate reports of injuries or damaged buildings.

“We have no reports of damages,” Vanessa Rosales, the head of the country’s emergency services organization told Reuters.

Rains Worsen Pakistan Flood Misery

News Trends: With the floods sweeping south, thousands of people were rendered homeless as heavy rains continued to lash Sindh and water levels rose further in the swollen Indus River. Massive water flow of 1,130,000 cusecs of water now heads to Kotri Barrage. People fled in whatever they could, carrying goats and whatever they could. Roads were submerged in several places and at least 35 of the low lying villages were under water in Sukkur.
The Indus River is in extremely high flood in the Guddu and Sukkur barrages. Widespread rains are also expected over lower Sindh in the coming days. Immense pressure on the Sukkur Barrage with 1,184,200 cusecs of water flowing downstream and 1,168,500 upstream may cause breaches in the barrages which would cause further devastation, all major districts of Sindh, including Sukkur, Khairpur, Nawabshah , Sangar, Dadu and Hyderabad will witness flooding.

800,000 Cusecs of Flood Water to Reach Kotri Barrage in 24 hours

News Trends: It was noted that almost 800,000 cusecs of flood water will reach Kotri Barrage in next 24 hours. Rescue operation has already been initiated on the sensitive flood safety walls of Latifabad, Qasimabad and Hussainabad.
The flood safety wall on River Indus near Latifabad, Hyderabad is very weak and the river is taking a turn at this point. The peace committees of PPP and MQM have already established their camps over here; where as the members of MQM Hyderabad Zone are doing some repair works of flood safety wall using sand bags. The irrigation department has deployed stones on the flood safety wall; however stone pitching has not yet been initiated. The flood water will pass from this area on 12th August 2010 and some villages of Hussainabad have already been flooded.

Bush Visits Haiti to Check Reconstruction

Former US president George W. Bush began a visit to Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, to check the progress on Haiti’s post-quake reconstruction.
This is the second time Bush visited the quake-ravaged country after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake on 12th January 2010 killed some 300,000 people and left millions homeless. Bush visited a mango factory and a sewing factory where he watched workers making school uniforms. Bush viewed progress made on rebuilding after the quake and listened to Haitians regarding the current conditions in their country. Bush will meet Haitian President Rene Preval, government officials and representatives of international organizations. Bush and his predecessor Bill Clinton joined their foundations to aid the reconstruction of Port-au-Prince and other seriously affected cities. Both foundations promote job creation as a safe way to sustain the development of the small Caribbean country.

Israel warns Lebanon but also seeks calm along border

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a public warning to Lebanon on Wednesday, saying it would face a “vigorous” Israeli response in the event of more unrest on their shared border.

But at the same time as Netanyahu”s office published his comments, which put the Lebanese government in the same category as the militant Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Israeli, UN and Lebanese military officers were working behind the scenes to douse the flames.

“I want to make it clear to Hamas, and also to the government of Lebanon which we see as responsible for the violent provocation against our soldiers; do not test our resolve to defend Israel”s civilians and soldiers,” Netanyahu said.

Israel”s key ally, the United States, backed Israel”s contention that its troops were carrying out routine work on their own side of the frontier on Tuesday when they were subjected to an unprovoked attack by Lebanese soldiers.

“The firing of the Lebanese armed forces was wholly unjustified and unwarranted,” State Department Spokesman Philip Crowley said.

Netanyahu”s comments were made in a Hebrew-language statement distributed to media in writing and on video.

Tuesday”s firefight, the deadliest confrontation on Israel”s northern border in four years, took the lives of an Israeli colonel, two Lebanese soldiers and a Lebanese journalist.

Major 7.0-magnitude quake hits Papua New Guinea

SYDNEY: A major 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Papua New Guinea on Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued.

The quake hit New Britain island at 8:01 am local time (2201 GMT Wednesday) at a depth of 54 kilometres, USGS said.

The epicentre was 145 kilometres (90 miles) east of Kandrian, on New Britain, and 570 kilometres (350 miles) east of Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, based in Hawaii, said there was no threat of a widespread destructive tsunami as a result of the quake.

At least two killed in Indonesia quake

JAKARTA: At least two people were killed when a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Wednesday, police said.

Police said initial reports suggested they were crushed when their houses collapsed as the quake shook Yapen Island off northern Papua province shortly after midday.

“Two people were killed on the island because of the quake. We”re still collecting information about the damage,” Yapen Island police chief Deny Siregar told foreign news agency.

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