It has been 12 years since the most powerful earthquake in Japan's recorded history struck the Asian nation, triggering a tsunami that led to one of the world's worst nuclear accidents.
The 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, which is sometimes referred to as the Great East Japan Earthquake or the Great Tohoku Earthquake, changed the lives of thousands of people on March 11, 2011. Despite more than a decade having already passed since, many Japanese citizens are still regarded as evacuees. Thousands are still considered as missing to this day.
We look back at what happened on that fateful day, including the vital stastics as well as videos that recorded all the devastation that took place.
2011 Japan Earthquake, Tsunami
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck at exactly 2:46 p.m. local time. The epicenter of the quake around 80 miles east of the city of Sendai. The sheer power of the earthquake caused a tsunami, which produced waves whose height reached up to 40 meters, according to the National Geographic.
The earthquake was felt in other countries, such as China and Russia. The subsequent tsunami also generated high waves in other places, including California, Hawaii, and Oregon.
As previously mentioned, the tsunami caused a nuclear accident now known as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
"In addition to the thousands of destroyed homes, businesses, roads, and railways, the tsunami caused the meltdown of three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant," the National Geographic says.
It adds, "The Fukushima nuclear disaster released toxic, radioactive materials into the environment and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes and businesses."
Related Article: Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: Plant Executives Ordered by Court to Pay $97 Billion as Damages
The Numbers
According to a report by NHK WORLD, 15,900 people lost their lives due to the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, per the statistics of the National Police Agency. 2,523 people still remain missing as of press time.
Around 450,000 people lost their homes due to the tsunami. NHK World likewise reports that, as of last month, there are still a total number of 30,884 evacuees. 3,792 evacuees have died of causes related to the disaster.
To this day, around 115 square miles of land located near the power plant are still classified as "difficult to return" to by officials and experts.
The Videos That Captured the Earthquake, Tsunami
People around the world were able to see the devastating earthquake and tsunami thanks to the videos recorded by security cameras and the victims themselves. Many of these videos are available on YouTube for everyone to watch.
For example, the video below shows that airport of the city of Sendai as the magnitude 9.0 earthquake was happening.
This next video shows the tsunami hitting the town of Minamisanriku, which is located in the Miyagi Prefectures.
A video of the boat of Japanese coast guard riding over tsunami waves has also been captured.
Read Also: Fukushima Radiation Leak Reaches US Shores
