The big pictures: The moment Japan's cataclysmic tsunami engulfed a nation

By Daily Mail Reporter
Created 12:48 PM on 11th March 2011


Japan was today plunged into chaos after a cataclysmic earthquake sent merciless tsunami waves rushing through its helpless streets.

The unforgiving tide of water unleashed after one of the biggest quakes in recent history obliterated tens of thousands of buildings, devouring almost anything in its path.

As the death toll soared, dozens more countries braced themselves for similar scenes of destruction as the full force of the mother nature powered through the Pacific ocean.

 

More...

Washed away: Where there was once a coastline populated with homes and factories, powerful waves triggered by the tsunami devour anything in their path. Only a scattering trees remain

Stretching into the distance, waves caused by the tsunami pour over the coastline and rush inland swamping all before them. As the seawater passes over the land it mixes with the soil and begins to change colour to a dark brown

Tsunami swirls near a port in Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture

Helpless: A ship, dwarfed by the sheer size of the whirlpool, is drawn ever closer towards the vortex as is tossed about in the foaming waters off the port of Oarai, Ibaraki

Horror: A huge wave is shown roaring in towards the coastal city of Natori in northwestern Japan

Menace: Wave upon wave heads towards the coastline which has already been breached by an earlier onslaught

Iwaki city
Sendai traffic

With fires and destruction all around him a man picks his way carefully though the rubble while (right) there's gridlocked in either direction in Sendai as people try to escape the coastal city

Caved in: In the aftermath of the biggest earthquake in Japan's history, workers survey the huge hole in the middle of a road in Satte

This extraordinary image shows how the quake split this road in Satte on the island of Honshu right down the middle

A pedestrian road has collapsed in the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Urayasu city, Chiba prefecture on March 11, 2011.
Emotional: Two visibly shaken young Japanese women who were evacuated from a building in Central Park in Tokyo comfort each other as news spreads of the devastation unleashed across the country

Two women in Urayasu city, Chiba, scramble up a road that was buckled by the force of the quake. Right, a young woman wells up and leans on her friend as the true scale of the disaster that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people becomes apparent

Collapsed: Three shocked workers look at the factory in Sukagawa city, Fukushima that only a short while earlier they had been working inside with dozens more unsuspecting colleagues

Collapsed: Three shocked employees look at what has become of the factory in Sukagawa city, Fukushima, where moments earlier they had been working

Doomed: A massive tsunami engulfs stranded homes aon the coast of Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, after the earthquake struck

Raging seas: The tsunami pours through trees and engulfs homes on the coast of Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, after the earthquake struck

Gone: The same scene just moments later shows how the entire residential area of dozens of homes is completely obliterated by the unforgiving waters which swept away anything in their path

The same scene just moments later shows how the entire area with dozens of homes is completely obliterated by the unforgiving waters which swept away anything in their path. Bobbing about on the surface is all the debris the waters have picked up along the way

Swelling: The murky flow of mud and debris trapped in the tide of water washes over the tarmac car park at Sendai airport in northern Japan

Swelling: The murky flow of mud and debris trapped in the tide of water washes over the tarmac car park at Sendai airport in northern Japan

Wave of destruction: Tsunami tidal waves race upstream along the Naka river at Hitachinaka city in Ibaraki hours the massive 8.9 magnitude quake struck this morning

Destruction: Tsunami tidal waves race upstream along the Naka river at Hitachinaka city in Ibaraki hours after the massive 8.9 magnitude quake struck this morning

People at a book store react as the store's ceiling falls in Sendai, northern Japan Friday, March 11, 2011.
Black smoke raises from a building in Tokyo's waterfront Daiba in Tokyo on March 11, 2011. A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake shook Japan,

Shock: A young couple at a bookshop in Sendai, northern Japan, embrace as the ceiling collapses  and the building rocks from the force of the quake while in Tokyo, right, black smoke rises from fires caused by the quake

Aftermath: Clouds of grey smoke billow out of an oil refinery, and an inferno burns at its centre, in Chiba following the earthquake

Aftermath: Clouds of grey smoke billow out of an oil refinery, and an inferno burns at its centre, in Chiba following the earthquake

Concerned: Two office workers in Tokyo brace themselves for a potential disaster as the earthquake rumbled buildings and smoke can be seen rising from skyscrapers outside

Concerned: Two office workers in Tokyo brace themselves for a potential disaster as the earthquake rumbled buildings and smoke can be seen rising from skyscrapers outside

A mother and child crouch on a street in Tokyo while an earthquake hits Friday, March 11, 2011.
Injured people are attended to by emergency personnel after an earthquake in downtown Tokyo Japan March 11, 2011.

Effects: A mother and her daughter watch nervously as pools of water from burst pipes encroach on the pavement in Tokyo while, right, paramedics carry away casualties from a nearby building that was rocked by the earthquake

Red alert: Flames engulf homes that were hit with the full force of the tsunami in the Miyagi region of north eastern Japan

Red alert: Flames engulf homes that were hit with the full force of the tsunami in the Miyagi region of north eastern Japan

Debris: An eerie mist moves over the debris of destroyed homes and cars caught in the raging tsunami waters

Debris: An eerie mist sweeps across the debris of destroyed homes and cars caught in the raging tsunami waters in Kesennuma in Miyagi, northern Japan

Natural gas containers burn at a facility following an earthquake in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo, Japan March 11, 2011.
Flames rise from houses on fire after powerful earthquakes hit Yamada, Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan, Friday, March 11, 2011.

Explosion: Flames reach hundreds of feet into the sky after a natural gas facility in Chiba near Tokyo explodes after the earthquake, while right, a fire tears through residential houses in Yamada in northern Japan

Stranded: Shoppers sit on the floor of a department store as train and bus services were suspended due to the earthquake

Stranded: Shoppers sit on the floor of a department store as train and bus services were suspended due to the earthquake

Cold: Elderly women who are likely to have expereinced a numbe rof earthquakes in their lifetime sit on the street as they take the most recent disaster which is one of the worst in recent history

Cold: Elderly women who are likely to have experienced a number of earthquakes in their lifetime sit on the street as they take in the most recent disaster which is one of the worst in recent history

Stranded commuters sit inside Tokyo railway station as train services are suspended due to a powerful

Stuck: Stranded commuters inside Tokyo railway station prepare themselves for a long wait as the city, where infrastructure is designed to withstand disasters, recovers from the earthquake

A man sits wrapped in a blanket after he was evacuated from a building in Tokyo's financial district, after an earthquake off the coast of northern Japan, March 11, 2011.
Stranded commuters wrap themselves in blankets bracing for chilly evening at a park in Yokohama, near Tokyo, following a strong earthquake hit eastern Japan on Friday, March 11,

Aftershocks: A frail elderly man rests under a blanket as all around him the country is gripped by the full scale of the earthquake and right, young Japanese people evacuated from buildings at risk of collapsing wrap blankets around themselves

At risk: Confusion spead amoung passengers who were taken off planes at Narita International Airport in Naita city, suburban Tokyo

At risk: Confusion spead amoung passengers who were taken off planes at Narita International Airport in Naita city, suburban Tokyo

Pile-up: New cars ready to be shipped are stacked on top of each other after the water gushed through Hitachinaka city in Ibaraki prefecture

Pile-up: New cars ready to be shipped are stacked on top of each other after the water gushed through Hitachinaka city in Ibaraki prefecture

Shock: The full destructive power of the earthquake is evident in this concrete road in Fukushima prefecture that was snapped in half by the disaster

The sheer force of the quake is evident in this image of the road in Fukushima which has been flipped, buckled and broken

Destroyed: The remains of houses are surrounded by broken wood and concrete after flood waters engulfed Iwaki town, Fukushima prefecture

Aftermath: The remains of houses are surrounded by broken wood and concrete after flood waters engulfed Iwaki town, Fukushima prefecture

Explosions: Giant fireballs rise from a burning oil refinery in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture after being shaken by the earthquake off the coast

Giant fireballs rise from an oil refinery in Ichihara, which lies on the eastern coast of Japan, after being shaken by the earthquake off the coast



 

Comments (210)

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

 View all

The earthquake that happened in Japan is indeed heartbreaking. We've heard a lot of tsunamis and quakes before but this time, it is so different. Here in my place, though we did not experience that, we apparently feel for Japan. What happened to them greatly affects us actually. Now is the time to reflect and be with Mother Nature again. Love and be loved in return. We are interrelated with each other, so let's help one another. We only have one Earth and who else can take care of it but us. Let's be mindful that every action we do has a reaction. This is not the time to regret but this is the time to soften our hearts and help those who are in dire need of our help and prayers.

Click to rate     Rating   138

Report abuse

My prayers go out to the whole nation of Japan and to those familys who lost love one. As we can see we can't take life for granted and in a space of minutes thouands of people were running for their lives . May god bless everyone especialy in Japan.

Click to rate     Rating   78

Report abuse

Under such circumstances, I can’t find the appropriate words to express my sorrow and sympathy, to the wonderful people of Japan.

Click to rate     Rating   83

Report abuse

In times of difficulty, our humanity must compel us to help one another. The Japanese are our brothers and sisters. they need our help in whatever manner we can we must/should gather our resources and offer to them who are in dire need at this time. LET US BE MORE HUMAN... AND FEEL THIS TRAGEDY. RATHER THAN FOCUSING ON THE NEGATIVES WHICH WILL NOT HELP AT ALL. Dear Japanese brothers and sisters, WE THE WHOLE WORLD ARE WITH YOU AT THIS TIME. WE ARE TRYING OUR BEST TO HELP YOU. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.... KEEP MOVING

Click to rate     Rating   141

Report abuse

I feel sorry to Japan. This could happen anywhere. Someone once said "If you stop helping others you loose sight of all humanity". I am sure it is devestating to want your cars,houses, boats be swept away by the tsunami. Its a horrible thing to have to go through. Everyone should be able to help one another.

Click to rate     Rating   58

Report abuse

I feel sorry for Japan. This could happen anywhere. I am sure it is devastating to stand there and watch your cars, boats, and even homes be swept away. I remember one person saying "when you stop helping others thats when you loose sight of all humanity". It is not Japan's fault that this happened to them.

Click to rate     Rating   56

Report abuse

Being 57 of age, not very many things can affect me, as much as in the younger days. But this horrifying cataclysm is just too much. You would need a heart of stone, not to be deeply shocked. If, in any way, you were in doubt if this was a major catastrophe, these pictures above, removes all doubt. This is for sure a sad time in the history of this planet. For whatever it is worth, I have the deepest compassion on these poor, poor people, who has been strucked so hard. You can't help having the greatest admiration for these people, seeing them in this turmoil, and yet being so calm and remarkable composed.

Click to rate     Rating   2

Report abuse

My condolences and prayers to the p'ple of Japan. My fellow p'ple of this great planet, let us conserve our environment to prevent future disasters from mother nature, we have witnessed again & again & again and we know the impact when mother nature decides to strike.

Click to rate     Rating   7

Report abuse

Wow!! These picures are really horrific and really show the extent of the damage to people's lives and their possessions. I pray that the losss of life wil be minimal but I fear the worst. There have been rumors that an earthquake could occur here in Arizona but I hope and pray there will be no more eartquakes of this magnitude anywhere in the world.

Click to rate     Rating   4

Report abuse

I pray for japan,,,And wish all people will safe.

Click to rate     Rating   5

Report abuse

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.