The worst earthquake in generations struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday, setting off a devastating tsunami that swallowed swaths of coastal territory and fanned out across the Pacific Ocean, threatening everything in its path.
The 8.9-magnitude earthquake — the world’s fifth-largest since 1900 and the biggest in Japan in 140 years — struck at 2:46 p.m. local time, shaking buildings violently in Tokyo for several minutes and sending millions fleeing for higher ground.
UNC students studying abroad in Japan have all been reported safe, UNC spokesman Mike McFarland said in an e-mail. UNC runs a faculty-led Japanese Theater and Culture study abroad program during the fall semester and has exchange programs with six Japanese universities. Four students are studying in Japan at four of those universities, according to Dan Gold, Asia Programs Director at UNC.
One of those students is August Armbrister, a Phillips Ambassador studying at Waseda University in Tokyo. The international and area studies and Asian studies double major shared a video he shot of an oil refinery fire following the earthquake with CNN.
Will Graves, who left the UNC men’s basketball program last fall, plays in the Japanese league is safe but without power, his girlfriend reported on Twitter. Former UNC player Jackie Manuel, who played on the 2005 national championship basketball team, also plays ball in Japan but has Tweeted that he is safe.
At least 60 people are believed dead, though that number is expected to rise dramatically as officials begin assessing the extent of the damage. Japanese media is reporting scores of people missing, likely buried under rubble or swept away by waves as high as 33 feet.
Nearby islands are bracing for the tsunami and warnings have been issued for 53 countries including ones as far as Colombia and Peru.
At least 80 fires have been reported across the country and large areas are without electricity.
A portion of this story is © 2011, Los Angeles Times. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
