Ship swept away

A ship carrying 100 people has been swept away by the tsunami which smashed into north-eastern Japan on Friday following a massive earthquake, according to the Japanese Kyodo news agency.

Zuma sends words of support

President Jacob Zuma has expressed his condolences to the earthquake hit Japan. He has said: “The people of South Africa share the pain and loss of the loved ones, their homes and property, and our thoughts and prayers go to the affected families.”

Those who have loved ones in the country should contact the consular section for more information: 012-351-1750, 012-351-1751 or 012-351-1000.

Warning: countries in the Pacific region

Google has issued a Tsunami Alert for New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, and others. Waves expected over the next few hours, caused by 8.9 earthquake in Japan.

Response from Japanese government

Japanese Prime Minister, Naoto Kan has said: "Government is making every effort possible to minimise damage. The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan. Some of the nuclear power plants in the region have automatically shut down, but there is no leakage of radioactive materials to the environment."

Japan 2011 earthquake: facts

The quake is the biggest to hit the country in over 140 years. It surpasses the Great Kanto quake of 1923, which had a magnitude of 7.9 and killed more than 140,000 people in the Tokyo area.

Japan lies on the "Ring of Fire"- an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim. It is where about 90 per cent of the world's quakes occur.

One confirmed death

At least one person has been confirmed dead in Japan after a 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan's north- eastern coast, unleashing a massive tsunami on the country's coast line.

Tsunamis: facts

A tsunami or tidal wave is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, usually an ocean, but can occur in large lakes.

Tsunamis occur quite frequently in Japan, approximately 195 incidences have been recorded.

Tsunamis can devastate coastal regions, as it did in Thailand in 2004.