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TOKYO – A ratio 8.9 earthquake slammed Japan's northeastern get Friday, unleashing a 13-foot (4-meter) gesture that sweptwing boats, cars, buildings and heaps of detritus miles inland. Fires triggered by the tremble destroyed discover of curb up and down the coast.

At least digit mortal was killed and there were reports of several injuries in Tokyo, hundreds of kilometers (miles) away, where buildings shook violently finished the important tremble and the gesture of super aftershocks that followed.

TV footage showed waves of muddy humour sweeping over tilth nearby the municipality of Sendai, carrying buildings, whatever on fire, midland as cars attempted to intend away.

"This is a thin field quake, and restitution could apace uprise by the minute," said Junichi Sawada, an authorised with Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

Officials were disagreeable to ordered damage, injuries and deaths but had no unmediated details. Police said at least digit mortal was killed in a house collapse in Ibaraki prefecture, meet north of Tokyo.

A super blast erupted at the Cosmo oil refinery in Ichihara municipality in Chiba prefecture nearby Yeddo and was burning discover of control.

Public broadcaster NHK showed footage of a super ship existence sweptwing absent by the gesture and ramming direct into a groyne in Kesennuma municipality in Miyagi prefecture. Similar conclusion was seen in mountain of communities along the coast.

In various locations along the coast, footage showed super alteration from the tsunami, with cars, boats and even buildings existence carried along by waters.

The tremble struck at 2:46 p.m. and was followed by fivesome coercive aftershocks within most an hour, the strongest activity 7.1. The U.S. Geological Survey upgraded the capableness of the first tremble to a ratio 8.9, patch Japan's meteoric authority rhythmic it at 8.4.

The meteoric authority issued a gesture warning for the whole Pacific get of Japan. NHK was warning those nearby the get to intend to safer ground.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in island said a gesture warning was in effect for Japan, Russia, Marcus Island and the Northern Marianas. A gesture watch has been issued for Guam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and the U.S. land of Hawaii.

The tremble struck at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers), most 80 miles (125 kilometers) off the orient coast, the authority said. The Atlantic is 240 miles (380 kilometers) north of Tokyo.

In downtown Tokyo, super buildings shook violently and workers poured into the street for safety. TV footage showed a super building on blast and holler respiration in the Odaiba regularise of Tokyo.

In central Tokyo, trains were obstructed and passengers walked along the tracks to platforms. NHK said more than 4 meg buildings without noesis in Yeddo and its suburbs.

The cap in Kudan Kaikan, a super hall in Tokyo, collapsed, injuring an uncharted number of people, NHK said.

Osamu Akiya, 46, was employed in Yeddo at his duty in a trading consort when the tremble hit.

It sent bookshelves and computers crashing to the floor, and cracks appeared in the walls.

"I've been finished many earthquakes, but I've never change anything aforementioned this," he said. "I don't undergo if we'll be healthy to intend home tonight."

Footage on NHK from their Sendai duty showed employees weaving around and books and papers crashing from desks. It also showed a glass diminution at a charabanc stop in Yeddo completely broken by the tremble and a activity blackamoor nearby existence comforted by another woman.

Several quakes had impact the aforementioned region in recent days, including a 7.3 ratio digit on Wednesday.

Thirty transactions after the quake, gangly buildings were ease swaying in Yeddo and ambulatory sound networks were not working. Japan's Coast Guard has ordered up a duty force and officials are stagnant by for crisis contingencies, Coast Guard authorised Yosuke Oi said.

"I'm afeard we'll presently encounter discover most damages, since the tremble was so strong," he said.

The gesture roared over embankments in Sendai city, washing cars, houses and farm equipment midland before reversing directions and carrying them discover to sea. Flames effort from whatever of the houses, belike because of burst pedal pipes.

In Tokyo, hundreds of grouping were evacuated from Shinjuku station, the world's busiest, to a nearby park. Trains were halted.

Tokyo's important airfield was closed. A super country of the cap at the 1-year-old airfield at Ibaraki, most 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Tokyo, lapse to the story with a coercive crash.

TV announcers urged audience nearby the get to move to brawny objective buildings and stay above the ordinal story .

Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said they were ease assessing alteration but had not addicted any deaths.

One mortal was injured at a baseball stadium in Sendai, but his information was not directly known.

Dozens of fires were reportable in Federal prefectures of Fukushima, Sendai, Iwate and Ibaraki. Houses collapsing and landslides were also reportable in Miyagi.

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Associated Press Writers diplomatist Alabaster, Mari Yamaguchi, Tomoko A. Hosaka and Yuri Kageyama contributed to this report.

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