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The 2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami was an 8.8 to 9.1-M_W megathrust earthquake that created tsunami waves of up to 10 meters (33 ft). It was measured at 7 on the Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale in the northern Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The earthquake focus was reported to be 130 kilometres off the Oshika Peninsula, the east coast of Tōhoku on 11 March 2011, at 05:46 UTC (14:46 local time) at a depth of 24.4 kilometers (15.2 mi).

News reports by Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) indicate that nearly 580 people have died and more than 1400 are missing in six different prefectures.

Estimates of magnitude range from 8.8 to 9.1 M_W making it the largest earthquake to hit Japan and one of the five largest earthquakes in the world since modern record-keeping began.

Other Information

• Date : 14:46:23, 11 March 2011 (UTC+9) (2011-03-11T14:46:23UTC+9)
• Magnitude : 8.8–9.1 M_W
• Depth : 24.4 km (15.2 mi)
• Epicenter location : 38°19′19″N 142°22′08″E / 38.322°N 142.369°E / 38.322; 142.369Coordinates
• Type ” Megathrust earthquake
• Countries or regions affected : Japan (primary), Multiple nations (tsunami)
• Total damage : Flooding and reports of major damage
• Tsunami : Yes
• Landslides : Yes
• Aftershocks : At least 150 (22 above 6.0 M_W)
• Casualties (preliminary) : nearly 580 dead, more than 1400 missing (March 11, 2011 )

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The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 M earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded. An estimated three million people were affected by the quake; the Haitian Government reported that an estimated 230,000 people had died, 300,000 had been injured and 1,000,000 made homeless. They also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.

The earthquake caused major damage in Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other settlements in the region. Many notable landmark buildings were significantly damaged or destroyed, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, and the main jail. Among those killed were Archbishop of Port-au-Prince Joseph Serge Miot, and opposition leader Micha Gaillard. The headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), located in the capital, collapsed, killing many, including the Mission’s Chief, Hédi Annabi.

Many countries responded to appeals for humanitarian aid, pledging funds and dispatching rescue and medical teams, engineers and support personnel. Communication systems, air, land, and sea transport facilities, hospitals, and electrical networks had been damaged by the earthquake, which hampered rescue and aid efforts; confusion over who was in charge, air traffic congestion, and problems with prioritisation of flights further complicated early relief work. Port-au-Prince’s morgues were quickly overwhelmed with many tens of thousands of bodies having to be buried in mass graves. As rescues tailed off, supplies, medical care and sanitation became priorities. Delays in aid distribution led to angry appeals from aid workers and survivors, and looting and sporadic violence were observed.

On 22 January the United Nations noted that the emergency phase of the relief operation was drawing to a close, and on the following day the Haitian government officially called off the search for survivors.

Other Information

• Date : 16:53:10, 12 January 2010 (−05:00), 21:53:10, 12 January 2010 (UTC)
• Magnitude : 7.0
• Depth : 13 km (8.1 miles)
• Epicenter location : 18°27′25″N 72°31′59″W / 18.457°N 72.533°W / 18.457; -72.533
• Countries or regions affected : Haiti
• Max. intensity : MM X
• Tsunami : Yes
• Casualties : 92,000 – 230,000 deaths (6th deadliest earthquake)

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Continue reading »]]> The death toll from the Abruzzo earthquake reached 228 last night as a series of strong aftershocks continued to rattle through the region.

A tremor of 5.6 magnitude spread more panic yesterday evening in L’Aquila, a city once home to about 70,000 people, where the impact was felt the strongest. At least one person was reported killed as a result of the shock. Monday’s earthquake was between 5.8 to 6.3 magnitude.

All day, aftershocks hampered the rescue effort as relatives of the missing waited for news of their loved ones.

At one point rescuers looking for more bodies in a collapsed student dormitory in L’Aquila had to run from the rubble as one of the bigger aftershocks hit shortly before midday.

Ollie Hodge, 29, a rugby player from Bristol, who signed up to play for L’Aquila last year, told of his horror as he woke up in the middle of the earthquake, which also killed a teammate.

“Myself and a few of the boys from the club went out to the hospital to help. We were carrying beds down the stairs and carrying people out. You just do what you can in a situation like that. It still hasn’t sunk in yet. The scenes in the centre of town were unreal — it’s like a war zone down there. Absolutely horrendous.”

By yesterday afternoon rescue workers had all but given up hope of pulling any more survivors from the wreckage, and the men in hard hats and harnesses were looking for corpses rather than miracles.

The quake had ripped the student dormitory in two, leaving an ugly crevasse of twisted metal and crumpled air vents. In the afternoon four people were finally located but tearful emergency workers declined to say whether they were alive or dead.

In some areas of the city, rescuers were digging by hand to find any survivors. Silvio Berlusconi, the Prime Minister, said that the efforts would continue for two more days “until it is certain that there is no one else alive”.

Tent camps provided by civil protection volunteers housed some of the 17,000 left homeless by the quake, but many spent the night in the chill mountain air without blankets.

David de Angeli stood outside one of the tents, cradling a bandaged hand. He described how he had escaped from his house as the wreckage rained down, scooping up a neighbour’s ten-year-old daughter and fleeing into the street. “I still haven’t heard from my son or my grandson,” he said, bursting into tears and walking away.

Aerial footage showed the scale of the destruction in this city of Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architectural treasures. Roofs were missing from modern buildings, old churches had fallen and the walls and other parts of medieval buildings had tumbled to the ground. Officials said that 10,000 to 15,000 buildings were either damaged or destroyed.

Earthquake experts and the Italian media praised the rescue effort and said that the Government had responded well to the catastrophe. But, they said, the real disaster was the country’s continuing failure to take measures to limit earthquake damage and prevent deaths.

“This time the State was there for us,” said La Stampa. It added: “It is unpleasant to reflect on a catastrophe when there are still people to pull out of the rubble, but we have to do so if we are to avoid yet more pain and rage. It is not earthquakes which kill, but badly constructed buildings.”

Franco Barberi, a geologist, said in a television broadcast from a camp for evacuees at L’Aquila that “an earthquake like this in California would not have provoked a single death”.

Scale of the disaster

• 228 confirmed dead
• 17 bodies still unidentified
• 15 missing
• 50,000 estimated homeless
• 13,000 estimated number of buildings damaged or destroyed

Italian earthquake: deathtoll reaches 228 as aftershock slows rescue

Continue reading »]]> The number of people killed from an earthquake in Costa Rica rose to 34 on Saturday, a government official said.

Another 64 people were listed as missing two days after the 6.1-magnitude earthquake shook north-central Costa Rica, the official said.

Emergency personnel continued to search for victims affected by the quake, according to Ministry of Infrastructure spokeswoman Silvia Chaves.

Rescuers reached 200 tourists who had been stranded in a hotel in Varablanca, and they were taken to safety, she said.

Survivors described Thursday’s quake, which was centered about 20 miles north-northwest of the capital city of San Jose, as sudden and brutal. Landslides, tumbling rocks and collapsed buildings caused widespread devastation.

“I saw how the Earth moved and how it took my family — my aunt, my cousin and her babies,” Miguel Angel Marin told CNN affiliate Teletica TV. “It was very hard because I wanted to save them but I couldn’t.”

On Friday, the U.S. government dispatched a team of 34 U.S. military personnel and four helicopters from Honduras-based Joint Task Force-Bravo to Costa Rica to assist.

More than 1,200 people were stranded, without a way to get out of towns or homes, Red Cross official Milton Chaverri said. Another 1,000 people were living in shelters, he said. iReport.com: Are you there? Send photos, video

The remote area near Alajuela, where the quake hit strongest, is difficult to reach, and officials said they were having to rely on helicopters for medical evacuations and to airlift supplies.

Randall Picado, a government rescue official, said many residents were without water and other necessities.

About 400 volunteers and Red Cross personnel were giving aid in 15 communities, Chaverri said.

The temblor was felt throughout Costa Rica and in southern and central Nicaragua, the U.S. Geological Survey reported on its Web site.

About 2,000 aftershocks have been felt in San Jose, the capital, and other cities throughout the nation, Red Cross spokeswoman Vilca said.

The Geological Survey placed the earthquake’s epicenter at 20 miles (32 kilometers) north-northwest of San Jose at a depth of 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometers).

34 dead, dozens missing from Costa Rica quake – CNN.com

Continue reading »]]> A powerful earthquake has struck south-western Panama, close to the border with Costa Rica, says the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake was reported with a magnitude of 6.2 and happened at a depth of 48.2km (30 miles), monitors said.

The epicentre was close to the Pacific coast and 55km (35 miles) west of David, Panama’s third-largest city and home to 125,000 people.

There have been no reports of any injuries of casualties, says the USGS.

People close to the quake contacted local radio stations in Panama to say they had felt strong aftershocks, reported Reuters.

The news agency also reported that the tremors were felt in the Costa Rican capital San Jose, but that authorities there had received no reports of damage.

Panama is located on the Pacific Ring, which forms a belt of seismic activity along the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

A quake measuring 6.1 struck close to David in January this year.

BBC NEWS

Continue reading »]]> BEIJING (AFP) — China allocated nearly four million dollars Tuesday in relief funds for a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that rattled the nation’s quake-prone southwest, killing 38 people.

The 27 million yuan (3.95 million dollars) was allocated from the central government’s emergency relief fund to cover rescue efforts for the quake that struck Sichuan and Yunnan provinces Saturday, the civil affairs ministry said.

The death toll from the quake rose to 38 on Tuesday, with most casualties occurring in Huili county in Sichuan, Xinhua news agency said.

Up to 941,000 people were affected by the quake, while 392,000 homes were damaged or collapsed, it said.

The government continued to call for relief supplies, including tents, blankets, fuel, food and medical supplies.

Over 439 aftershocks have rattled the mountainous region since Saturday’s major jolt, with the biggest aftershock registering magnitude 5.6 on Sunday, the China Earthquake Administration said.

The epicentre of the quake was near Panzhihua city about 500 kilometres (300 miles) south of where an 8.0-magnitude earthquake devastated a large swathe of Sichuan on May 12, leaving nearly 88,000 people dead or missing.

On Tuesday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao toured schools near the epicenter of the May 12 earthquake and urged students to work hard to overcome the massive destruction it had caused.

As Wen visited the quake area the government announced that it had spent 67 billion yuan (9.73 billion dollars) on relief and reconstruction for the May 12 earthquake as of September 1.

Domestic and foreign donations had exceeded 59.31 billion yuan in cash and goods, of which 25.3 billion yuan had been forwarded to quake-hit areas, it said.