Hundreds of people are feared dead after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake off the northeast coast of Japan sent a 10m tsunami ploughing into its coast. The quake was the most powerful ever recorded in Japan and sparked a tsunami alert across the Pacific basin.

• Strong tremors shake buildings in Tokyo
• Major fire at Chiba refinery

If you click here, you can see some impressive images of how the tremendous tsunami sweeps fields and villages and even the airport and a refinery.