On March 11th, at 2:46pm, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit off the shore of Sanriku. The earthquake registered a seismic intensity of over 6 in Ofunato, and the Meteorological Agency announced a tsunami warning for Iwate and areas along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. At 3:15pm, a 3.2m high tsunami was observed in Ofunato. It was followed by more tsunami, and the coastal region was swallowed up in a muddy stream. Aftershocks from the quake continued frequently, many buildings collapsed and were washed away, and the human loss was also great. At 10:30pm, 31 people in Ofunato and 5 people in Rikuzen Takata were confirmed dead, and the whereabouts of many others still remains unknown. Gas, power and other services have been disrupted, and many other areas have been heavily affected. Many are concerned about greater destruction yet to come.
(※The earthquake's magnitude was later changed to 9.0)
（Tokai Shinpo, March 12, 2011)
