TOKYO, March 11 (Xinhua) -- A devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 jolted northeastern and eastern Japan on Friday, which is believed to be one of the largest ever observed in the country.
The quake and the tsunami it triggered have caused heavy casualties and inflicted severe losses on the country. The figures are expected to increase, considering the large scale of the disaster.
HEAVY CASUALTIES AND DAMAGE
The latest report of Kyodo said the death toll is expected to exceed 1,000 as about 1,800 houses in Fukushima Prefecture were found to have been devastated.
Police in Miyagi prefecture, where the quake stroke, found 200 to 300 bodies in Wakabayashi Ward in the city of Sendai after a 10- meter tsunami washed the port.
Also in Sendai, the authorities evacuated 60,000-70,000 people to around 200 shelters, Kyodo News reported, adding that the local authorities have confirmed 133 deaths and 531 people missing in eight prefectures along the Pacific coast.
In the tsunami-hit area, a train was missing, with unknown number of passengers aboard, and a ship, carrying 100 people, was swept away by the tsunami, according to a Kyodo report.
Nearly 3,000 residents living within a 3-km-radius of a nuclear power plant in Fukushima were told to evacuate following the powerful earthquake.
The radiation level has been detected to be rising at the plant and the air pressure level has also soared inside the container of a reactor, the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. was quoted by Kyodo as saying Friday night.
Up to 13,000 people were stranded at Narita airport in Chiba Prefecture and 10,000 at Haneda airport in Tokyo as a total of 711 domestic flights and a number of international flights were canceled following the massive quake.
An explosion was also observed at the Cosmo Oil refinery in Chiba Prefecture following the massive quake. Fires were reported at 48 locations, including at an ironworks in Chiba Prefecture.
In Tokyo and surrounding areas, up to 4 million homes suffered from a power cut. All trains in Tohoku, Tokyo areas have been suspended Friday. And Tokyo metropolitan expressways as well as Tokyo subways and suburban rail services were also closed following the quake.
The quake has affected the nation's key transportation systems, including Narita airport, which were closed for safety checks on its runways.
WIDE TSUNAMI THREAT
The massive quake in Japan triggered tsunami up to 10 meters, with waves sweeping across farmland, washing away homes and triggering fires.
Tsunami warnings were later issued for the entire Pacific basin, which cover Russia, China's Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.
Tsunami entered the Philippine territory, forcing residents in coastal areas of 19 provinces to evacuate on Friday.
Tsunami waves also reached Hawaiian islands of Kauai and Oahu but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
In Taiwan, residents in coastal areas were also evacuated in the face of a Tsunami, which arrived Friday evening. China's marine environment forecaster later removed a tsunami warning after the huge waves were reduced to less than 50 centimeters when reaching Taiwan.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tsunami could cause widespread damage and the concerned authorities should take appropriate actions in response to this threat. A tsunami is a series of waves and the first wave may not be the largest, it warned.
INTERNATIONAL CONCERNS FLOOD IN
As part of the rescue operation, the Japanese defense ministry has dispatched 8,000 Self-Defense Forces troops (SDF) to worst-hit areas. And Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said that the government is ready to deploy 300 planes and 40 vessels of the SDF for quake relief.
The Police Agency will also dispatch 900 rescuers to the quake- hit areas in northeastern Japan.
Meanwhile, the ministry also requested cooperation from the U.S. military forces stationed in Japan. U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos expressed willingness to work with the Japanese authorities to cope with the massive earthquake.
U.S. President Barack Obama said the United States stood "ready to help the Japanese people in this time of great trial."
Other countries, including China, Russia, South Korea, Thailand and Canada, have also expressed their concerns and willingness to provide assistance in Japan's rescue efforts.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said China was ready to provide Japan with necessary assistance to deal with the aftermath of the devastating natural disaster.
Chinese earthquake rescuers are prepared to go to Japan to join earthquake relief work if needed, Director of the China Earthquake Administration Chen Jianmin said Friday. China's International Rescue Team has put its members, equipment, materials and medicines on standby and are ready to depart for Japan at any time, Chen said.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in a statement that Russia was ready to provide emergency aid.
International organizations, such as UN, EU and ASEAN, also offered Japan condolences and assistance.
The United Nations said it would do what it could to help with the rescue efforts. Thirty international search and rescue teams were on alert to go to Japan to provide assistance, it said.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement that the organization is ready to assist Japan in the rescue effort. " We stand ready to assist in any way we can in case of need," the statement said.
ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan also expressed his deep concerns in a statement on Friday, "I wish to express my sincere sympathy to the government and people of Japan, one of our oldest, most generous dialogue partners and closest friends of ASEAN since 1977. My colleagues and I share your sadness and concern." 
