At 05:46 hours GMT (14:46 Japanese Local Time), an earthquake measuring an earth shattering 8.9R hit the north east of Japan.  Immediately following the earthquake a massive wall of water, up to 33 feet high, started sweeping everything in its way from coastal areas because of a Tsunami which developed following the earthquake.

This is regarded as the most powerful earthquake in Japan’s living memory, since records began.

There are numerous incomplete reports on the number of casualties. It is known to be at least 350 dead and hundreds missing. It is expected that in total around 1000 people would have lost their lives once the full extent of the disaster is known. The combination of factors in this natural disaster scenario has meant that an emergency has been declared at the Fukushima power plant. This happened as a result of failure of the cooling system in one of its reactors when it shut down automatically because of the earthquake.

Our thoughts are with the people of Japan wherever they may be.  Let us hope that the devastation which has already occurred is the end of the tsunami as reports suggest that many Pacific islands are bracing themselves to encounter the tsunami in the near future.

On Tuesday 22nd February 2011, Christchurch in New Zealand suffered a massive earthquake measuring over 6 Richter scale. This is New Zealand’s deadliest earthquake for 80 years. Current reports suggest that the death toll is confirmed to be 113 people so far with many trapped in buildings that have been demolished from the tremors. There are currently around 200 people unaccounted for.

New Zealand is about the size of Wales in terms of population and physical geography. Wales has had very good ties with the country. Our thoughts are with the people of New Zealand on a tragic occasion. The current Welsh rugby national coach, Warren Gatland, hails from New Zealand where he was part of the All Blacks team for many years.