BRIEFING: Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Update, March 29, 2011

Japan Tsunami Update. Click photo to enlarge.

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Overview

A powerful 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit Japan on March 11 at 1446 local time (0546 GMT), unleashing massive tsunami waves that crashed into Japan’s northeastern coast of Honshu, the largest and main island of Japan, resulting in widespread damage and destruction.

According to the Government of Japan (GoJ), as of Monday (March 28), at least 10,901 people are confirmed dead and 17,621 people are reported to be missing. There are no new figures for the number of injured, but the UN reported last week that 2,766 people were injured. (NHK, OCHA, March 28) Casualty numbers are likely to increase as emergency teams continue to reach and assess affected areas. The earthquake sparked widespread tsunami warnings across the Pacific. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the shallow quake struck at a depth of six miles (10 km) (20 km deep according to Japan’s Meteorological Agency), around 80 miles (125 km) off the eastern coast of Japan, and 240 miles (380 km) northeast of Tokyo.

Key Concerns:

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