SNAPSHOT-Developments after major Japan earthquake

SNAPSHOT-Developments after major Japan earthquake
Fri Mar 11, 2011 2:54pm GMT Print | Single Page [-] Text [+]
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TOKYO, March 11 (Reuters) - Following are main developments in the earthquake measuring 8.9 that struck northeast Japan on Friday.

* Fire engulfs a large waterfront area near Sendai city, TV footage shows.

* One train is derailed and another missing in Miyagi prefecture, Kyodo says.

- Up to 300 bodies found in Sendai city, domestic news agency Jiji says.

- Some 3,000 residents living near a nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture, north of Tokyo, have been told to evacuate the area, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano tells reporters.

- Government says no radiation leaking; evacuation is precaution after reactor cooling malfunction.

- Bank of Japan to hold policy meeting on Monday, will announce decision same day, cutting short scheduled Monday-Tuesday meeting.

- First signs of tsunami begin to appear on shores of Hawaii. Local television shows waves steadily rising over southern beaches on Oahu island
A ship carrying 100 people was swept away by the tsunami, Kyodo news agency reports.

- A train is unaccounted for in one coastal area, Kyodo says.

- "The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan," Prime Minister Naoto Kan tells reporters.

- Quake triggers tsunami up to 10 metres (30 feet), waves sweep across farmland, sweeping away homes, crops, vehicles, triggering fires. Tsunami of 7 metres later hits northern Japan.

- Strong aftershocks hit northern Japan.

- Tsunami warnings issued for the entire Pacific basin except the mainland United States and Canada.

- Countries covered by the warnings include Russia, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.

- Alerts lifted for Australia, New Zealand and Guam.

- Taiwan has evacuated some residents from the east coast, but lifted the tsunami warning that had been in place
Indonesia has lifted its tsunami warning, its meteorological agency says.

- Hawaii orders evacuations of all coastal areas.

* California emergency agency spokesman says 'very possible' there could be tsunami evacuations.

- Ruling and opposition party chiefs agree the government needs to compile an extra budget after the quake.

- Power cut to four million homes in and around Tokyo. Several fires blaze in Tokyo.

- Many sections of Tohoku expressway serving northern Japan damaged. Major fire at Chiba refinery near Tokyo.

- Bullet trains to the north of the country stopped. The government was to dispatch 900 rescue workers to stricken regions.

- Tokyo's Narita international airport resumes some outbound flights after earlier closing, halting flights and evacuating passengers.

- Tokyo underground, suburban trains halted. Sendai airport in the north flooded
Toyota says stopped output at parts factory and two assembly plants in the northeast.

- Mitsubishi Chemical says halts operations of two naphtha crackers at Kashima after a power outage.

- Electronics firm Sony closes six factories, Kyodo new agency reports.

- Asian shares fall after the quake hits; European shares fall to their lowest in three months, with reinsurers Swiss Re , Munich Re and Hannover Re all down more than 4 percent.

(Tokyo bureau; World Desk Asia, Singapore +65 6870 3815)