A massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake occurred in northern Japan early on Friday. The earthquake's epicenter is 130 km (81 miles) east of Sendai, in the Honshu island of Japan. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter was at a depth of 24.4 km (15.2 miles).
The earthquake triggered tsunamis in various parts of the country. Japan issued a tsunami warning immediately after the earthquake, followed by tsunami warnings for New Zealand, Australia, Russia, Chile,Guam, Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, Hawaii, Northern Marianas (USA), Taiwan, andCalifornia. It is confirmed for the Philippines that if the tsunami doesn't hit the country for 2 hours (5:00 - 7:00) it will be slightly safer, it is currently alert number two for all regions.
The tsunami attained a height of 10 meters, and swept houses, buildings and cars according to reports.Shinkansen stopped the bullet train service following the quake. According to reports, an oil refinery was set ablaze by the quake at Ichihara, Chiba prefecture to the east of Tokyo.
