Incredible Footage As The Japanese Disaster Unfolded (VIDEO)

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

On Friday, a massive 8.9 magnitude earthquake, the fifth largest in the past century, struck Japan. The earthquake, and the subsequent tsunami it triggered, devastated the island nation, leveling homes and buildings and washing away entire neighborhoods.

Compiled below are some of the most shocking, terrifying, and unbelievable videos of the disaster as it unfolded.

This video from The Guardian shows floodwaters spilling over embankments and washing away vehicles in several locations in northeastern Japan:

This footage from Japanese news station NHK shows the tsunami rolling inland near Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture:

AP video from the town of Miyako, in Iwate prefecture:

Another clip from NHK, this one from Sendai, Japan:

NHK footage from an unidentified city:

This amateur footage shows skyscrapers in Tokyo swaying due to the earthquake:

Video clips from RTV showing the damage in a number of cities in northeastern Japan:

The most unbelievable moment comes around the 1:25 mark in this video Japanese broadcaster ANN:

On Saturday, a build-up of pressure caused a hydrogen explosion that destroyed the housing of a reactor at the Fukushima nuclear plant:

The tsunami’s ripple effect was even felt on the American west coast, including in Santa Cruz.

Latest News
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: