Live updates: West launches an attack on Libya

WESTERN nations have launched a military assault in support of rebels opposing Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The latest updates will be posted here as they come to hand.

TIMES ARE AEDT | CLICK HERE TO REFRESH

• No-fly zone "effectively" in place - US Admiral
• Pro-Gaddafi advance on Benghazi halted
• 64 people thought to be killed so far
• US says "no indication" of civilian casualties
• Building in Gaddafi's compound hit by missile
• Libya calls ceasefire but violates "immediately"
• Libya: Wikipedia, Google Maps, Twitter

8.08pm UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is urging the Libyan government to fully comply with last week's security council resolution. He says the UN is moving quickly and that the Libyan government's actions against civilians are:

Related Coverage

• Civil war in Libya: Full timeline

"Totally unacceptable and strongly condemned. I am urging again that Libyan authorities fully comply with the UN security council's resolution...starting with the immediate cessation of hostility against civilians." - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

8.03pm This video from Russia Today shows the Libyan fighter jet shot down by coalition forces over the outskirts of Benghazi.

7.42pm A Libyan rebel smiles next to wrecked military vehicles belonging to Gaddifi's forces hit by French warplanes yesterday. Picture: AFP

LIBYA-UNREST-POLITICS

WIRE: A Libyan rebel smiles next to wrecked military vehicles belonging to Moammer Khaddafi forces hit by French warplanes on March 20, 2011. Dozens of Kadhafi military vehicles, including tanks, were destroyed in morning air strikes by the coalition west of Benghazi, as a semblance of normality returned with cars out on the road and street markets reopened in the rebel bastion. AFP PHOTO/PATRICK BAZ

Source: AFP

7.20pm CNN has a report from a woman in Tripoli who says people are living in fear of violent retribution from Gaddafi.

"They're afraid to come out because when they do, he attacked them very, very severely. This is putting terror in all neighborhoods."

6.32pm US intelligence agencies fear retaliatory attacks from pro-Gaddafi forces as the embattled leader struggles to retain control of the country, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Spy agencies are watching for signs that a desperate Gaddafi, under attack from a coalition air assault, could resort to acts of terrorism against Western targets.

5.20pm The Federal Government warned this afternoon the intervention in Libya could last a long time.

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said it was important to see this week's initial bombardment as "phase one" in a multi-phase operation. "This will be a long process," Mr Rudd told ABC television.

4.30pm Pictures are emerging of the destruction caused after an administrative building was hit by a missile in the heart of Gaddafi's Bab Al Azizia compound in Tripoli. A soldier can be seen below surveying the damage caused after the missile struck.

Mideast Libya

A Libyan soldier surveys the damage to an administrative building hit by a missile in the heart of Gaddafi's Bab Al Azizia compound in Tripoli / AP

Source: AP

4.20pm British MPs will be given a vote on the country's involvement in the Libyan mission, following a debate promised by Prime Minister David Cameron, the Press Association reported.

Only a handful of MPs are expected to oppose the vote, although concerns may be raised about Britain being asked to provide ground troops.

3.50pm Experts are warning petrol prices could hit as high as $1.50 a litre this week with further rises to come because of ongoing tensions in Libya.

Crude oil futures jumped 2 per cent this morning to above $US103 after UN-sanctioned aerial and naval strikes on military forces loyal to Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

2.52pm A Tripoli resident - who did not want to be named - recounts what it is like in the Libyan capital right now.

He describes a city full of tension and mistrust.

Several primary school teachers recount... stories of young pupils being questioned by school employees aligned to the regime's Revolutionary Committee Movement, which is being used to suppress dissent.

The conversations they have with these children, as young as eight years old, are along the lines of: "How are your parents? Are they sad about what's happening in the country? What have they been saying? What news channels are you watching at home?"

All, it seems, in an effort to establish whether the students have parents or relatives that are potentially opponents of the regime.

Read the rest of the eyewitness account at the BBC.

2.19pm The UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox has said making Colonel Gaddafi a target could "potentially be a possibility".

This admission contradicts statements from the Pentagon earlier which denied the missile which hit Gaddafi's compound was aimed at the leader himself, saying Gaddafi is "not on the targeting list".

Secretary Fox told the BBC "one of the problems we would have... is that you would have to take into account any civilian casualties that might result from that. At all times we are very careful to avoid that for its humanitarian reasons, but also for the propaganda reasons that it would provide for the regime itself."

1.36pm More details have emerged about the United States' plan to hand over command and control of the military operation in Libya, with speculation that Britain and France could take the lead role within days.

US Defence Secretary Roberts Gates said the US would not play a "preeminent role" in military action.

1.09pm A Libyan boy reacts while standing on top of a destroyed military vehicle belonging to the forces of Moammar Gadhafi in the outskirts of Benghazi, eastern Libya. Picture: AP

Mideast Libya

A Libyan boy reacts while standing on top of a destroyed military vehicle belonging to the forces of Moammar Gadhafi in the outskirts of Benghazi, eastern Libya, Sunday, March 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Source: AP

1.02pm Supporters of Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi hold a poster of him in the heavily fortified military barracks and compound of Bab Al Azizia in Tripoli over night. Picture: AP

LIBYA UN RESOLUTION

epa02645576 Supporters of Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi hold a poster of him in the heavily fortified military barracks and compound of Bab Al Azizia in Tripoli, Libya, 20 March 2011. Several hundred supporters of the Libyan leader rallied outside his residence in the Tripoli suburbs in an apparent bid to protect it from French military jets, al Jazeera TV reported. EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA

Source: No Source

12.25pm Coalition officials have confirmed Gaddafi's compound was hit as a military target, and not an attempt on the leader's life.

The air strike against an administration building within Gaddafi's residence has destroyed the "command and control capability" of the leader, the official said.

12.16pm There are unconfirmed reports that Colonel Gaddafi's son is dead. Almanara Media reports Khamis Al Gaddafi has died from injuries sustained several days ago.

11.25am The US has said it expects to hand over control of military operations against Libya within days to either a UK-France coalition or NATO, reports the BBC.

Meanwhile, the Libyan government has called on people to march "peacefully" towards Bengahzi, according to BBC.

11.20am Mohamed Abdul Malek from Libya Watch, talking to the BBC, says the Libyan people would like to see Gaddafi in court, but "if given the choice between saving so many lives and seeing him dead, yes we would like to see him dead".

11.08am Journalists have been bussed to the site of the missile hit earlier that destroyed a building inside Gaddafi's residence.

The administrative building is about 50 metres from the tent where Gaddafi usually greets guests.

11.06am As suspected by coalition leaders, the ceasefire announced by Muammar Gaddafi's regime overnight "isn't true" or has been "immediately violated", says aide Tom Donilon, the national security aide to Barack Obama.

"So we'll continue to monitor Gaddafi's actions, not just his words, and continue our efforts to enforce the terms of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1973," he said.

10.50am Journalists have been shown new graves as proof of civilian deaths, reports Reuters. There were conflicting stories from mourners of how the victims died, and government minders refused to take the journalists to the sites of the bombings.

One of the victims was Ramadan al Zirgany but relatives gave reporters conflicting stories about his job, how he died and his age. Some said he was a taxi driver, others said he was unemployed.

Accounts of his death ranged from a wall collapsing on him after a bomb struck near Gaddafi's Tripoli headquarters to a cruise missile hitting his car.

10.44am The bombardment has continued for a second night, maintained by British forces, reports the BBC.

Tomohawk missiles were launched from a British sub in the Mediterranean Sea and targeted Libyan air defence systems.

10.34am It would be "unwise" to try and kill Muammar Gadaffi, says US Defence Secretary Robert Gates.

Secretary Gates said the allied operation should stick to the parameters of the UN Security Council resolution.

He also expressed caution about providing direct support to rebel forces and referred to a long term "process" that could see Gaddafi toppled.

"I think this is basically going to have to be resolved by the Libyans themselves," he said. "Whether or not there is additional outside help for the rebels I think remains to be seen."

10.23am The New York Times has a wrap of the major events so far. You can read the whole article here.

There is also an interactive map showing how the rebellion is unfolding in Libya.

NYTimes libya map

/New York Times

Source: news.com.au

10.15am NATO has failed to agree to a plan on enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya due to objections from Turkey, Sky News reports. The Turkish representative to NATO asked that they review the role NATO might play in the resolution, and argued the intervention "has changed the parameters for NATO as well", said a NATO diplomat.

However NATO did approve a military plan for the UN arms embargo.

9.53am AFP is reporting the explosion near Gadaffi's home earlier was a missile which has destroyed an administrative building within the leader's residence. There is no word if there were any casualties.

9.35am PBS has a guide to the Gadaffis. The graphic shows who's who in the powerful Libyan family. Take a look at it here.

9.27am Brent crude has jumped $2 to US$115.93 a barrel on military action against Libya.

9.15am Chris McGreal at the Guardian has described scenes of death and destruction in Libya as a result of the Western air strikes.

The dozen or so men clustered behind the last smouldering tank looked as if they had died while they slept.

Their blankets bore no burn marks so perhaps it was the force of blasts – powerful enough to rip the turrets off the Russian-made tanks and toss them 20 metres or more across the open field near Benghazi – that killed Muammar Gaddafi's soldiers.

Click here to read the rest of his article at the Guardian.

Below: A Libyan rebel holds the rebellion flag as he stands over wrecked vehicles belonging to pro-Gadaffi forces. The vehicles were hit by French warplanes during an airstrike. Picture: AFP

Libyan rebel Benghazi

A Libyan rebel holds the rebellion flag as he stands over wrecked military vehicles belonging to Moammer Khaddafi forces hit by French warplanes on March 20, 2011. Dozens of Kadhafi military vehicles, including tanks, were destroyed in morning air strikes by the coalition west of Benghazi, as a semblance of normality returned with cars out on the road and street markets reopened in the rebel bastion.AFP PHOTO/PATRICK BAZ

Source: news.com.au

9.01am Dozens of foreign journalists were invited to a cemetery in Tripoli to cover the funerals of 26 people reportedly killed in overnight air strikes by Western forces, but by nightfall no bodies had arrived.

In a sea of regime supporters carrying portraits of the embattled strongman, men armed with AK-47s fired several rounds, women ululated and youths shouted "Jihad".

After more than two hours at the cemetery, journalists left in buses chartered by the authorities.

"Maybe tomorrow," said a member of the delegation escorting the journalists without further explanation.

8.47am Despite the Arab League criticising Western military strikes on Libya, Western forces have said they expect support to come from the Arab League soon.

In London, British Defence Secretary Liam Fox told the BBC "I spoke this morning to some of the leaders of the Arab countries who said that they might be involved and got a very warm response and I hope that that will become apparent."

Arab League member Qatar has already decided to deploy four planes to take part in the military operations.

8.06am A leading strategic expert has told ABC Radio this morning a no-fly zone over Libya might not stop attacks on civilians by the Gaddafi regime.

Hugh White, professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University, also said the recent criticisms from the Arab League - which initially supported the no-fly zone - will make the politics "pretty complicated".

Professor White said the no-fly zone by itself was never going to be sufficient to achieve the modest strategic objectives of a UN Security Council resolution.

"The Arabs have woken up and discovered they have supported not just something which is meant to stop Gaddafi flying his jets but something which is going to involve air attacks on land targets," he said.

7.59am Libyan people celebrate on a tank belonging to the forces of Moammar Gadhafi in the outskirts of Benghazi. The tanks were destroyed earlier by NATO planes. Picture: AP

Libya tank celebrate

Libyan people celebrate on a tank belonging to the forces of Moammar Gadhafi in the outskirts of Benghazi, eastern Libya. The tanks were destroyed earlier by NATO planes / AP

Source: news.com.au

7.41am There are reports of large explosions rocking Tripoli including one near Colonel Gaddafi's home. A column of smoke was seen rising from the area, and anti-aircraft fire rang out.

7.30am Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has told Sky News he would not trust the Libyan Government as far as he could throw them.

Mr Rudd was sceptical of the "ceasefire" called by the libyan government one hour before the UN resolution was adopted, and which was violated within 30 minutes.

7.25am Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez - who has historically been a close ally of Gaddafi - has condemned the "indiscriminate bombing" by the coalition forces, describing it as "imperial madness".

Mr Chavez made the comments during his weekly television and radio program.

He demanded the airstrikes be halted in Libya and echoed claims of civilian victims by its government, which said 48 people were killed.

Mr Chavez said African Union leaders were meeting in Mauritania to discuss the conflict.

"That's what must be done, and going there to talk with the parties in the conflict, but not launching bombs, more bombs, more death," Chavez said.

Mr Chavez said the U.S. is after Libya's oil, and warned President Barack Obama not to try any similar intervention in the South American country. "With Venezuela, don't even think about it, Mr. Obama," he said.

7.14am A briefing from the Pentagon says15 allied aircraft began hitting ground forces on the outskirts of Benghazi a short time ago. All aircraft have returned safely to home bases.

The briefing by Vice Admiral William Gourtney also reported the US has no indication of civilian casualties so far.

6.37am While Libya says it has ordered a ceasefire from 6am (AEDT) today, Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam reckons the whole crisis is just a "big misunderstanding". Branding the rebels gangsters and terrorists, he said the whole country was united against them.

5.42am "A sensible leader faced with the might of the US and NATO would just back off. But questions remain over Gaddafi's frame of mind" - Ian McPhedran looks at the options in Libya for the Herald Sun.

5.25am The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, says the US is not going after Muammar Gaddafi.

"This is not about going after Gaddafi himself or attacking him at this particular point in time.

"It is about achieving these narrow and relatively limited objectives so that he stops killing his people and so that humanitarian support can be provided."

1:40am The head of the Arab League has criticised international strikes on Libya, saying they caused civilian deaths. The Arab League's support for a no-fly zone last week helped overcome reluctance in the West for action in Libya. Amr Moussa says the military operations have gone beyond what the Arab League backed.

(W)hat happened differs from the no-fly zone objectives...what we want is civilians' protection not shelling more civilians.

Monday, 1:00pm Detailed map of How the Rebellion Is Unfolding in Libya from The New York Times

11:47pm Libyan officials have begun handing out weapons to more than a million of its citizens and will complete the operation "within hours," state news agencies reported today.

10:50pm Pope Benedict XVI called on military and political leaders to protect civilians caught up in the conflict in Libya that has escalated over the weekend.

I urgently appeal to political and military leaders to ensure the safety of [Libyan] citizens and guarantee access to humanitarian aid. I am following the events with great concern. I pray for those who are caught in the dramatic situation of this country [Libya].

10:41pm The initial part of an international operation to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya "has been successful'' and the Libyan government's offensive on Benghazi has been stopped, top US military commander Michael Mullen said "They are no longer marching on Benghazi," he added.

9:55pm Three US B-2 stealth bombers have dropped 40 bombs on a major Libyan airfield in an attempt to destroy much of the Libyan Air Force, CBS News reports. The television network also said that at the same time, US Air Force fighter jets conducted missions searching for Libyan ground forces to attack.

9:45pm Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi says all Libya's people have been armed and are ready to fight a "long war" to defeat foreign forces attacking his country, in a televised audio message.

We promise you a long, drawn-out war with no limits.

9:15pm

FaithCNNLibyan tv not showing (Gaddafi's) picture. This is what's showing instead. http://t.co/7fxcSCm

8:35pm Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said that western military raids on his country "amount to terrorism." Ghadafi, speaking on Libyan state radio, added that all of the country's people were now carrying weapons to defend the nation. "We will not leave our land and we will liberate it," he said.

8:19pm Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani has defended his country's participation in military operations in Libya, saying the aim was to "stop the bloodbath."

8:15pm Armed men have detained the crew of an Italian ship in the Libyan port of Tripoli, the Italian news agency ANSA reports. It said the crew of the ocean-going tug - eight Italians, two Indians and one Ukrainian - were detained as the ship disembarked Libyan workers. The armed men, one of whom identified himself as the harbour master, arrested the crew and prevented the ship from leaving, the agency added.

8:00pm Update on the coalition attacks on Libya:

• US and British ships pound Libya with precision missiles
  
• Targets are radars, communications centers and missile sites
• American officials say damage is significant and substantial
• US President Barack Obama says he doesn't want another war

7.22pm

OnlyOneLibya#Libya don't sit back, we have 2 rise together 2 get rid of Gaddafi ASAP, air strikes won't do that they only provide protection 4 civilians

6.32pm The BBC's Kevin Connolly in the city of Tobruk (on the border with Egypt) says Western aircraft will not be dispatched across Libya until the effectiveness of the missile attacks are known. Col.Gaddafi is also reportedly revising his strategy to cope with Western control of the air while consolidating his power on the ground, knowing that Operation Odyssey Dawn will not involve Western boots on Libyan ground.

6.18pm British military AWACS surveillance aircraft have landed at the Akrotiri British RAF airbase near Limassol. Britain has bombarded Libya with missiles from air and sea. Picture: AFP

British military AWACS surveillance aircraft

A British military AWACS surveillance aircraft lands in at the Akrotiri British RAF airbase near Limassol on March 20, 2011. Britain bombarded Libya with missiles from air and sea as multinational forces launched military action. Picture: AFP

Source: news.com.au

5.38pm Western aircraft from Canada, Denmark and Spain are expected to be in action today after arriving at Mediterranean bases. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe says the raids will continue until Col Gaddafi stops attacking civilians, withdraws his troops from areas they have penetrated, and allows Libyans to express their aspirations to democracy.

4.43pm Russia echoes China's sentiments, releasing a statement in which it called for a cease-fire in Libya as soon as possible, saying the authorisation of the use of force by the UN resolution had been "hastily adopted." The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement cited by CNN:

"We again urge all Libyan sides, as well as the participants of the military operation, to do everything they can to prevent the suffering of innocent civilians and to ensure a speedy cease-fire and an end to violence."

3.54pm Japan also backs the strike against Libya, though it chose to express its support in the most neutral language possible.

"The Japanese Government supports measures taken by UN member states under UN Security Council Resolution 1973," said a statement.

3.41pm Opposition Leader Tony Abbott supports the action against Libya but wants to see civilian casualties prevented. AAP reports:

"Obviously it's very important that any international action is very carefully calibrated to do the minimum of civilian damage," said Mr Abbott.

"But let's remember the damage that Colonel Gaddafi has done to his people over 40 years or more now.

"And let's remember the terrible vengeance that he will enact, that he would wreak on his own people, should this international action not be successful."

Earlier today Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd also threw his support behind the military strikes, while announcing a further $4 million in aid to assist those fleeing the crisis.

"This is a necessary and moral course of action against an individual who is a brutal, bloody dictator," he said.

3.32pm What is a Tomahawk missile? AFP tells us:

The 1.5-tonne missiles, which cost between $US600,000 and $US1.2 million each, can carry a 450-kilogram warhead and additional bomblets.

Over 300 Tomahawks were used in Operation Desert Storm alone, according to Raytheon Company which makes the weapons.

They also travel at speeds of up to 880km/h and can hit targets more than 2500km away. Read more here.

3.09pm The Western assault on Libya is an attempt to stop leader Muammar Gaddafi from attacking rebels in the east of the country – but it's not going to be an easy task.

John Nichol, a former air force pilot who served in the Gulf War and Bosnia, has an interesting article in The Guardian about his experiences in similar operations. His point is that rebels and non-rebels are hard to tell apart:

The no-fly zone in Bosnia prevented many fast-jet incursions; the helicopters were another matter. We would spot them disgorging troops that we knew would soon be entering a town to massacre civilians. Yet none were shot down because the issues of positive identification were legion – all sides were happy to disguise helicopters with Red Cross markings or UN logos. Who was willing to take the risk of killing civilians?

2.50pm China says it does not approve of the assault against Libya, but has stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.

"China has noted the latest developments in Libya and expresses regret over the military attacks on Libya," said a foreign ministry statement.

China did not block the UN resolution authorising the strikes, abstaining from the vote instead of using its veto.

2.13pm Since the attack was launched, photos from inside Libya have been scarce. The Western forces are taking plenty of shots of their efforts, though. Here's one showing French soldiers loading jet fighters with ammunition, distributed by AFP:

Libya assault

This handout picture released by ECPAD (The French Defence communication and audiovisual production agency) shows a soldier uses forlk-lift to load ammunition for French jet fighters in a Transal, a military transport plane at Avord military base, central France, on March 19, 2011, on a mission to overfly Libya following UN Security Council resolution. Picture: AFP

Source: AFP

1.50pm Need a reminder of where Libya is? It's here:

View Larger Map

1.41pm Britain says its Tornado fighter jets fired an undisclosed number of Stormshadow missiles at Libyan targets in the "the longest range bombing mission conducted by the RAF since the Falklands conflict" almost thirty years ago.

1.36pm The story so far in numbers. Three countries have launched an assault on Libya – the US, Britain and France. At least 110 Tomahawk missiles have been fired into the country from the Mediterranean. Libya says at least 48 people have been killed.

If you need to catch up on how this all started, read here.

1.14pm Chemical weapon threat or political scaremongering? The Washington Post is reporting on a stockpile of mustard gas which Gaddafi could use to "kill large numbers of his people".

US and European authorities have apparently been monitoring the stockpile by satellite, and "nothing untoward" has been seen so far.

The paper also said a mustard gas attack is "unlikely and would be difficult to carry out".

1.01pm The African Union has called for an "immediate stop" to the attacks. In recent years Gaddafi has heavily promoted African solidarity and played a role in the formation of the union.

12.53pm Another shot of the USS Barry launching Tomahawk missiles into Libya, as seen through night-vision goggles from another vessel nearby. Picture: US Navy / Getty

Missile strike against Libya

In this handout image provided by the US Navy, seen through night-vision lenses aboard amphibious transport dock theUSS Ponce, the USS Barry fires Tomahawk cruise missiles in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn March 19, 2011 Picture: US Navy / Getty

Source: Getty Images

12.17pm A superb story from Tripoli by Los Angeles Times reporter Borzou Daragahi gives a feeling of what it was like to be inside Gaddafi's compound when the attacks began:

Rap music slamming Al Jazeera and BBC's coverage of Libyan events blared from loudspeakers. Men and women danced and swayed to African and Arabian rhythms. A line of security officials formed to hold back the crowds as they pressed forward. Young men waved green flags denoting support for Gaddafi's Libya. A banner showed a crowd of men wearing green bandannas spraying pesticide on rats, the term Gaddafi uses to describe rebels in the east.

11.58am An AFP reporter on the ground says the Libyan capital of Tripoli is being bombed.

11.47am Libya says 48 people have been killed so far in the airstrikes.

11.38am The US has advised media organisations not to send journalists into Libya. It says all its officials have now left the country, and recommends US citizens leave as well.

10.34am Partial transcripts of Gaddafi's recent letters to world leaders have been released. In one to Barack Obama, he says he loves the American leader like a son:

To our son, the honourable Barack Hussein Obama,

As I have said before, even if, God forbid, there were a war between Libya and America, you would remain my son and I would still love you. I do not want to change the image I have of you. All of the Libyan people are with me, ready to die, even the women and children. We are fighting nothing other than al-Qaida in what they call the Islamic Maghreb. It's an armed group that is fighting from Libya to Mauritania and through Algeria and Mali... If you had found them taking over American cities by the force of arms, tell me what you would do?

7.32am The US has now joined military action against Libya. It will launch missile strikes but will not send in ground troops. The operation is named "Odyssey Dawn".

7.15am French war planes have destroyed armoured vehicles belonging to "pro-Gaddafi forces".

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/world/west-launches-attack-against-libya/story-e6frfkyi-1226024884745#ixzz1HDy5l2R2

Japan Earthquake Nuclear Meltdown

2.09am: At least three people evacuated from a Japanese town near the quake-hit nuclear plant have been exposed to radiation. They were randomly chosen for examination from 90 patients moved from a hospital in the town of Futaba-machi.

1.32am: Authorities are trying to locate thousands of Australians known to be living or staying in Japan, with DFAT saying it has received more than 4400 calls from families seeking details of relatives and friends unable to be contacted in the area. (www.smh.com.au)

12.13am: About 10,000 people are unaccounted for in the Japanese port town of Minamisanriku in quake-hit Miyagi prefecture, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reports. (AFP)

11.20pm: Japanese authorities continue to hose down radiation fears. Japan's chief cabinet secretary says radiation levels near the Fukushima plant had fallen, amid fears of a possible nuclear meltdown. (AFP)

10.43pm: Uranium fuel may be melting at the reactor. The Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says two radioactive substances cesium and radioactive iodine have been detected at the plant, indicating that some of the containers of uranium fuel may have started melting. (NHK)

10.38pm: Australia will look to provide self-contained field hospitals and disaster victim identification teams to Japan, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd says.

"I was able to convey the condolences of the Australian people direct to him and indicated that we stood ready to provide any assistance that Japan might need at this time" - Kevin Rudd

10.36pm: More tragic images from disaster-stricken Japan.

Ships blaze in the Bay of Kesennuma in Kesennuma. Picture: AP

Smoke rises over an area in flood in Sendai, the area in northern Japan which is all but destroyed. Picture: AP

10.09pm: Radiation is reportedly leaking from the nuclear plant as engineers scramble to determine if the facility has gone in meltdown. (Sky News)

10.00pm: Japanese authorities say troops have found between 300 and 400 bodies in the coastal city of Rikuzentakata, which was devastated by the tsunami. The death toll from the disaster is expected to be at least 1700. (AFP)

9.56pm: Serious damage to the stricken reactor container is unlikely despite the force of the explosion, Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says. (AFP)

9.27pm: Japanese media are reporting that two people have been killed and several injured in the blast at the nuclear plant. (ynetnews.com)

9.09pm: Sky News has reported that four workers from the nuclear plant have been taken to hospital. Meanwhile, five million people are without power in Japan.

8.53pm This clip from Russia Today shows the exact moment when the explosion at the Fukushima nuclear plant occurred.

8.48pm: Sky News has reported residents in the area have been told to stay indoors, not drink tap water and to cover their faces with wet towels or masks.

8.37pm: Footage on Japanese TV shows that the walls of one building have crumbled, leaving only a skeletal metal frame standing. Puffs of smoke are seen spewing out of the plant. (AP) A government spokesperson has asked people to quickly evacuate to a 10 kilometre radius.

"We are now trying to analyze what is behind the explosion. We ask everyone to take action to secure safety." - Government spokesman Yukio Edano.

8.01pm: TV channels warned nearby residents to stay indoors, turn off air-conditioners and not to drink tap water. People going outside were also told to avoid exposing their skin and to cover their faces with masks and wet towels.

7.46pm: From Agence-France Presse:

"A seriously injured worker is still trapped in the crane operating console of the exhaust stack and his breathing and pulse cannot be confirmed. Currently, rescue efforts are under way," nuclear company TEPCO said in a statement.

This video shows white smoke billowing from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Quake-hit Japan nuclear plant explodes

7.42pm: NHK says a high level of radiation has been detected in the area of the nuclear power plant. Levels measured 1015 parts: if people are exposed to this level of radiation for one hour, it is equal to the amount people are normally exposed to in one year. What radiation levels are considered safe?

7.28pm: Japan Government officials tell AP there was shaking, white smoke at site. (msnbc) Twitter reports say a containment wall has blown off. The walls and roof of the quake-damaged nuclear plant in Japan have been destroyed in a blast, local broadcaster NHK reported. (NewsCore)

7.03pm: An explosion was heard today from a quake-hit Japanese nuclear plant and smoke was seen billowing from it, as several workers were injured and radioactivity rose 20-fold outside, reports said. (AFP) The explosion was NOT at the reactor, says Japan Nuclear Safety Agency #Fukushima

6.30pm: Japanese officials and experts dismiss suggestions of a repeat of a Chernobyl-type disaster. (Al-Jazeera's live blog):

"No Chernobyl is possible at a light water reactor. Loss of coolant means a temperature rise, but it also will stop the reaction," Naoto Sekimura, a professor at the University of Tokyo, says.

6.28pm: (Via Twitter) @earthoutreach: The location in @googlemaps of the #Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant - http://bit.ly/gLguTT (expand) & within context of #Japan http://bit.ly/eXL63A

6.23pm: Earthquake moved Japan's coast 2.4m and shifted the earth's axis (CNN).

6.15pm: Japan orders evacuation near second nuclear plant (New York Times):

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaking in Washington, said that American military planes had already delivered "coolant".

6.09pm: The Japanese Government has expanded the evacuation area around a nuclear power plant in the Fukushima Prefecture because of a radiation leak. It increased the radius to 10km from 3km earlier. Live NHK World feed.

6.02pm: DFAT said while fears of a large-scale tsunami impact in the Pacific had eased there were unsubstantiated reports of a small number of casualties in Papua New Guinea. Updates: Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Meanwhile, Google's Crisis Response project is a good source for Japan updates.

5.58pm: Video: Radioactive emergency team despatched.

5.49pm: Two radioactive substances, cesium and radioactive iodine, have been detected near the reactor, Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told NHK World. This shows some of the metal containers of uranium fuel may have started melting. The substances are produced by fuel fission.

5.43pm: Via NHK World:

Pressure of the reactor container is rising as its cooling system became dysfunctional due to a blackout and power generator breakdown. This has raised concern about possible damage to the container.

5.40pm: What is a nuclear meltdown? (nucleartourist) What are the different types, causes and effects? (Wikipedia).

5.26pm: Parts of the reactor's nuclear fuel rods were briefly exposed to the air after cooling water levels dropped through evaporation, and a fire engine was pumping water into the reactor, Jiji news agency said. Kyodo News reported that radioactive caesium had been detected near the Fukushima plant, citing information from the nuclear safety agency.

People near Japan nuke plant evacuated

5.12pm: Japan mobilised 50,000 military and other rescue personnel today to spearhead a Herculean rescue and recovery effort, a day after being hit by its most devastating quake and tsunami on record.

5.10pm: More than 215,000 people were in emergency shelters in eastern and northern Japan today, a day after a massive quake and tsunami struck the country, the National Police Agency said.

5.08pm - New Zealand's tsunami warning has been cancelled. A Civil Defence spokesman told NZPA that, according to scientific advice, no further tsunami threat existed for New Zealand coastlines. "Nonetheless, minor fluctuations in sea level may continue for up to 48 hours and caution is required on beaches and in marine environments," the spokesman said.

4:32pm The Japanese Government has declared a nuclear emergency.

Japan's quake-hit nuclear power plant Fukushima No.1, about 250km northeast of Tokyo, "may be experiencing nuclear meltdown," Kyodo News reported, citing the nation's Nuclear Safety Commission.

4.25pm: Toll update ... At least 613 people have been confirmed killed in the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan - but the Government voiced fears that more than 1000 had died. Prime Minister Naoto Kan's right-hand man and top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, said "it is believed that more than 1000 people have lost their lives".

4.08pm: Jetstar passengers stranded at Guam International Airport are back en route to Tokyo after their flights were diverted to avoid Japan's devastating earthquake.

4pm: A third of New Zealand's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) personnel are off to Japan but New Zealand Fire Service spokesman Jim Stuart-Black told NZPA the departure of the 48 staff "won't compromise our capability". Japan sent 70 search-and-rescue personnel to assist in the Christchurch earthquake recovery including specialists from the coastguard, police and fire fighting service, as well as three sniffer dogs.

3.36pm: Acting Prime Minister Wayne Swan:

The task ahead for the Japanese people and, I believe, the global community in the hours, the days, the weeks ahead cannot be underestimated. At times like these we are not just Australians, or Japanese or citizens of any one country, we are citizens of the world.

3.06pm: The Japanese National Police Agency says more than 215,000 people were in emergency shelters in eastern and northern Japan.

2.40pm: NSW will send a 76-person specialist urban search and rescue team to Japan following the country's devastating earthquake today.

The team will be made up of firefighter rescue specialists, supported by two structural engineers, eight paramedics, two doctors, and a police specialist.

2pm An urgent appeal to help those affected by the deadly tsunami in Japan has been launched in Australia. Save the Children launched the appeal today, calling for funds to assist children and their families in the areas devastated by the tsunami that struck Japan's east coast yesterday. Save the Children's Stephen McDonald said the organisation was extremely concerned about the welfare of Japanese children:

"We are calling on Australians everywhere to donate to our appeal so that we can meet the needs of the most vulnerable children and their families.

1.43pm A strong 6.8-magnitude aftershock has struck off the east coast of Japan, US seismologists said, less than 24 hours after a massive earthquake created a powerful and destructive tsunami. AFP reports the aftershock, which the US Geological Survey said hit at a depth of just 24 kilometres, was centred 174km east-southeast of the city of Sendai, the scene of huge devastation when a 10-metre tsunami struck on Friday.

1.40pm As reports emerge of people calling for help, trapped under rubble, search-and-rescue expert Gillian Dacey assesses their chances of survivor. She tells the BBC: "In the right conditions they can survive at least four, and up to seven days. In some earthquakes, if the person who's trapped has some water or food, they can maybe survive 10 days, and we have heard of some extreme cases of up to 14 days, but the conditions have to be right.

1.35pm Hundreds of Australians live in one of the areas potentially worst hit by the tsunami in Japan. Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd today said there were 54 Australians registered as living in the city of Sendai but that there were probably hundreds of Australians living in the area. "The reason being is that it is a place where Australian language teachers have gone to work," he said.

1.32pm Australian search and rescue teams stand ready to travel to Japan, as early as Saturday night to help, Mr Rudd said.

Australia is ready to throw anything as is required (to help in this emergency) ... We will throw everything at it.

Smoke billows from a residential area in Sendai, northern Japan, one of the hardest hit regions. Picture: AP

A tsunami-drifted ship sits on a pier in Sendai, northern Japan. Picture: AP

12.20pm Japan's quake caused the day to become a bit shorter. NASA geophysicist Richard Gross calculated that Earth's rotation sped up by 1.6 microseconds, according to an Al Jazeera report, which cited AP.

12.04pm The Japanese Government is currently holding an emergency meeting on the subject of the Fukushima nuclear plants, according to the Guardian.co.uk.

12.03pm AFP reports that Japanese naval and coastguard helicopters have found a ship that was swept out to sea by a massive tsunami and airlifted all 81 people aboard to safety.

Environmental group Greenpeace has told AFP:

Japan is in the middle of a nuclear crisis with potentially devastating consequences

11.44am Japan's trade ministry has announced that Fukushima's plant operator Tepco is "considering releasing pressure" at the Fukushima No 2 (Daini) nuclear plant, according to the Guardian.co.uk. The Government has also just ordered the evacuation of a three kilometre radius around the plant.

American Jesse Johnson, who lives in Chiba, north of Tokyo, told Sky News he was at a sushi restaurant with his wife when the quake hit.

I've lived in Japan for 10 years and I've never felt anything like this before," he said. "It got to the point where I don't know whether it's me shaking or an earthquake.

11.22am According to Al Jazeera, there are now five reactors under a state of emergency - two at Fukushima No 1 (Daiichi) plant, and three at the nearby Fukushima No 2 (Daini) plant.

Residents look over destroyed buildings half submerged in water after a tsunami hit the city of Kesennuma, in northeast Japan, March 12, 2011. Picture: AP

11.05am The death toll from the catastrophic earthquake in Japan has reached 202 in nine prefectures, including Tokyo, with the toll likely to rise to well over 1000, Kyodo News is reporting, citing the country's National Police Agency and the Defense Ministry.

10.54am Japan's military has reportedly mobilised thousands of troops, hundreds of planes and dozens of ships, as the country kicks off a mammoth relief mission. According to the BBC, Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan also plans to hold an emergency cabinet meeting early on Saturday local time, before visiting the disaster zones by helicopter.

10.51am Japan's nuclear safety agency is reportedly set to issue an unprecedented order for Tepco to open a valve at the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant to release pressure, according to the Guardian.co.uk.

10.40am Grim updates indicating appalling loss of life are emerging from along the hard-hit east coast of northern Honshu island, where the monster waves destroyed more than 3000 homes on Friday, AFP reports.

Sayaka Umezawa, a 22-year-old college student, was visiting the port town of Hakodate, in northeast Japan, when the 8.9-magnitude quake hit. She told AFP about her terrifying experience:

It was the biggest earthquake I have ever felt. I thought I would die.

10.15am DFAT has said it remains concerned for 54 Aussies in earthquake-hit areas, but added there were no reports of Australian casualties or injuries.

10.12am The death toll from the 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan has reached 185, according to Kyodo News agency.

10.09am Unconfirmed reports the Fukushima nuclear plant has recovered power.

10.05am Watch this Ustream for live images from Japan.

10am This New York Times report provides a good explanation of what's going on at the Fukushima plant.

9.46am Japan's nuclear safety agency has confirmed the damaged Fukushima No 1 has been leaking radiation outside the plant, the Guardian.co.uk reports. According to the Guardian, there are now also reports from nuclear plant operator Tepco that the Fukushima No 2 plant has lost cooling to three of its reactors.

9.44am Japan's public broadcaster NHK, quoting nuclear safety officials, said there was "no immediate health hazard" to nearby residents from a possible minute leakage at the Fukushima No1 nuclear power plant.

Buildings burn in the town of Yamada, in northeast Japan, after the country's biggest recorded earthquake hit, March 11, 2011. Picture: AP

9.27am Japan says radiation levels have surged outside nuclear plant, expands area subject to evacuation, The Guardian reports.

9.20am A tsunami has swept at least five people watching the waves out to sea and ripped docks out of harbours in California, spreading the destruction of a devastating Japanese earthquake to the shores of the United States.

9.08am The Kyodo news agency is now citing a safety panel as saying that the radiation level inside one of the reactors at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant is 1000 times higher than normal, according to BBC News.

9am A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake which hit Japan's mountainous Niigata prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, at 4am on Saturday (6am AEDT) caused landslides and avalanches and destroyed some wooden houses. Kyodo News said there were no immediate reports of casualties and no fresh tsunami alert was issued. It was followed by an almost equally strong quake in the same area half an hour later.

The earthquake-triggered tsunami washes away a warehouse and vehicles in Kesennuma, Japan. Picture: AP

8:48am Radiation levels at the damaged Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant are continuing to rise. The Jiji Press news agency says the levels are eight times above normal, BBC reports.

8:41am Final death toll in Japan likely to be in the thousands, according to numerous news agencies.

8:39am Around 11,000 Australians are believed to be in Japan, with 41 registered in affected areas, according to Sky News.

8:35am John Large, independent nuclear safety analyst, has told Al Jazeera that Japanese officials will have to manage a balancing act at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. He says there is a risk of exposing the public if they try to contain radioactive steam. Read more here.

8:26am Kyodo news agency is reporting that radiation may have already been released at a nuclear plant and that four commuter trains are still unaccounted for in the Miyagi and Iwate prefectures.

8:16am DFAT advisory - If you are in Japan and require assistance, you can contact the Australian Embassy in Tokyo on 03 5232 4111 and you will be transferred to the Crisis Centre.

If you are concerned about Australians in Japan you should in the first instance try to contact them directly. If this is unsuccessful, you can contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas) or 1300 555 135 (within Australia).

8:10am If you're trying to contact someone in Japan or have information that could help those looking for loved ones, Google's People Finder may help.

8:05am A California man has been swept out to sea after travelling into dangerous waters to take photos of incoming tsunami waves.

7:58am The towering wall of water generated by Japan's 8.9-magnitude earthquake - the seventh biggest in history - pulverised the country's northeastern city of Sendai, where police reportedly said that 200-300 bodies had been found on the coast. Japan's National Police Agency said 137 people had been confirmed dead and 531 missing, with 627 others injured in the tremor, not including the bodies reportedly found on the Sendai coast.

The damage is so enormous that it will take us much time to gather data - local official in Japan

7:43am An "energy map" created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows the power of the tsunami that hit Japan following the 8.9 magnitude earthquake, Japan's biggest on record.

7:36am The final death toll from the devastating earthquake and tsunami is likely to pass 1000, according to Japan's news agency Kyodo News.

7:25am Fox News is reporting that tsunami waves have hit Hawaii beaches and the US western coast. No reports of major damage, but scientists have warned that the first tsunami waves are not always the strongest.

7:15am New Zealand has upgraded its tsunami warning, saying waves of more than one metre are now expected following the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan.

6:50am The Japanese government has declared an atomic emergency and told thousands of residents living near a nuclear plant in Fukushima to evacuate, warning a small amount of radiation could be released, AFP reports.

6:29am Tsunami waves have hit Mexico, according to AFP. Initial waves were half-a-metre high but subsequent waves could be as high as two metres, the Scientific Research Centre in the town of Enseada said.

6:18am A magnitude 6.6 quake has now struck in central Japan, causing Tokyo buildings to sway, BBC reports. This new earthquake was reportedly on a different faultline from the first 8.9 magnitude earthquake. No reports of damage so far and no new tsunami alerts have been issued.

6.02am The situation at the nuclear power plant appears to be worsening, The Associated Press has quoted an anonymous official as saying if the outage in the cooling system persists, eventually radiation could leak out into the environment, and, in the worst case, could cause a reactor meltdown. However the Guardian mentions a nuclear expert speaking to CNN has said this was only a remote possibility.

Buildings are destroyed by a wall of water in Iwaki, Fukushima. Picture: AP

5.44am BBC quotes nuclear physicist Dr Walt Patterson as saying the situation at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant is "the sort of thing that nuclear engineers have nightmares about ... if it is not resolved in the next few hours it will get serious". Read their analysis of the nuclear emergency.

5.25am The tsunami has hit Santa Cruz on the US west coast, CBS5 is streaming live coverage of the effects. CBS2 reporter Joe Vazquez tweets:

Boats adrift in Santa Cruz; loose from damaged piers. Chopper 5 shows boats floating under overpasses, crashing into other boats on dock.

CBS5 reporting a dozen or so sunken boats. County spokesman says at least $2M damage.

5.23am The BBC have created this interactive map with video for selected regions showing the horrific impact of the quake and tsunami.

5.16am Despite earlier appearing to have been contained authorities are again concerned with the nuclear reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant. The Associated Press reports pressure inside the reactor has risen to 1.5 times the level considered normal.

5.14am Scientists said the earthquake was nearly 8,000 times stronger than one that devastated the city of Christchurch in New Zealand last month.

A tsunami tidal wave washes away houses in Kesennuma, Miyagi. Picture: AP

5.04am There are still fears for the occupants of two trains and a ship with over 100 passengers that were swept away by the tsunami.

4.47am There is amazing footage on Youtube of buildings swaying. View videos here and here.

4.30am US President Barack Obama has offered Japan his "deepest condolences, especially to the victims and their families. I offered our Japanese friends whatever help is needed". He said that the US already had an aircraft carrier stationed in Japan and that another was on its way. "We also have a ship en route to the Marianas Islands to assist as needed. The defence department is working to account for all our military personnel in Japan. US embassy personnel in Japan have moved to an off-site location, and the state department is working to account for and assist any and all American citizens who are in the country."

4.18am Kyodo news agency now puts the estimate of number killed at more than 1000.

4.03am The tsunami is expected to hit Ocean Beach in San Francisco shortly, resident Mathew Honan has set up a webcam you can access here.

The waves have started to hit the US West Coast now. Mike Murphy, emergencies chief in Port Orford, Oregon said:

The tsunami has arrived now and the ocean is surging as though it were between high tide and low tide every 30 minutes instead of the usual six hours.

4.02am Japanese defence ministry officials have said 1800 homes in Fukushima prefecture have been destroyed, the BBC reported.

3.59am The Herald Sun has this account from Australian Luke Norris who was in his high-rise apartment in central Tokyo when the quake hit.

I crouched next to the bed. All the lights went out. The whole building started swaying. I’m pretty high up. It was a very scary experience.

3.50am Governments around the world have pledged their support and offered aid to Japan in the wake of the largest quake to ever hit the country.

A house sinks into the ground at Sukagawa city, Fukushima. Picture: AFP

Pedestrians clamber over a piece of collapsed road in Urayasu city, Chiba. Picture: AFP

3.40am Reports indicate the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is "under control". The World Nuclear Association has said it understands that water is now being pumped into its cooling system. Reuters has also reported the US has transported emergency coolant to the plant. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said:

We just had our Air Force assets in Japan transport some really important coolant to one of the nuclear plants. You know Japan is very reliant on nuclear power and they have very high engineering standards, but one of their plants came under a lot of stress with the earthquake and didn't have enough coolant.

3.18am Hawaii appears to have dodged the worst of the tsunami with the wave passing seemingly without major impact. White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley said:

I think the enormous fears that that were there hours ago, for some of us hours ago, has diminished greatly, which is quite a relief for all of us.

Houses continue to burn into the night at Natori, Miyagi. Picture: AP

3.08am Five Australians MPs have arrived safely in Tokyo after spending hours trapped on a bullet train that ground to a halt following the 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan. Labor MPs Stephen Jones said the atmosphere on the crowded train was surprisingly calm.

You have got to hand it to the Japanese people. They are really taking this in their stride.

3.06am Embassy officials in Japan are trying to contact at least 45 Australians known to be in the region hardest hit by the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami.

2.58am The Courier-Mail has amazing eye-witness reports from Aussies in the heart of the quake.

I could've sworn I didn't set my alarm to earthquake last night - Joel Porter, based in Sendai, about 130km west of a quake epicentre.

Things were falling off the shelves . . . the microwave was centimetres away from toppling off. The TV stand, holding a 32-inch TV, wheeled itself a couple of metres across the floor - Maki Miyaguchi, an Australian copy editor with Kyodo News, Tokyo

Waves wash away a warehouse and vehicles in Kesennuma, Miyagi. Picture: AP

2.47am A large section of Kesennuma, a town of 70,000 people in Miyagi, is burning furiously with no apparent hope of the flames being extinguished, public broadcaster NHK said. A witness told the broadcaster that the fire began after the tsunami knocked over several cars, causing them to leak oil and gas. The fire started hours later and rescuers have yet to arrive.

2.45am The death toll hasrisen to at least 310 people. The National Police Agency said 110 people had been confirmed dead and 350 missing, with 544 others injured in the tremor.

The death toll has yet to include the 200-300 dead bodies which were (reportedly) found on the beach of Sendai.

2.42am A Japanese news agency has reported a dam has burst in north-eastern Japan, washing away homes.

2.25am Residents in coastal parts of northern California have evacuated their homes in anticipation of an expected tsunami. Authorities warned waves could reach as high as two metres.

2.23am Queen Elizabeth II has sent a message to the Emperor of Japan.

I was saddened to hear of the tragic loss of life caused by the earthquake which has struck north east Japan today. Prince Philip joins me in extending our heartfelt sympathy to your majesty and the people of Japan. Our prayers and thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by the dreadful disaster.

2.02am The official Kyodo news agency is reporting that about 88,000 people are missing. The pictures below show the awful scale of the earthquake's impact.

A man walks past burning rubble in Iwaki city, Fukushima. Picture: AP

A worker inspects a caved-in section of the Joban Motorway near Mito, Ibaraki. Picture: AP / Nexco East Japan

1.46am UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed his condolences to the Japanese people. He said the UN will do "all it can to mobilise humanitarian assistance".

The world is shocked and saddened by the images which we saw this morning. On behalf of the United Nations, I want to express my deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the Japanese people and government, and most especially to those who have lost family or friends in the earthquake or subsequent tsunami.

1.41am The first waves to hit Hawaii have been thankfully small. Waves were measured at 48cm at Nawiliwili on the island of Kauai, according to officials at an emergency centre in Honolulu. "It's not going to be a major damaging event,'' said Gerard Fryer with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre as the surge began to hit, although he added there might be scattered damage.

1.17am Millions of people in greater Tokyo are stranded after the earthquake shut down the capital's massive subway system. Countless workers have found themselves stuck far from their families, and unable to speak to them because the overloaded mobile phone system could not carry most calls.

1.00am Japanese police have found 200 to 300 bodies on a beach at Sendai. NHK television said the victims appeared to have drowned. Police are now putting the death toll at 88 with 349 missing, not including the bodies found at Sendai.

This dramatic picture shows the tsunami as it hits Natori, Miyagi. Picture: AP / Kyodo News

12.53am The east coast of Japan continue to be rocked by aftershocks - The US Geological Survey reports seven more over the past half hour.

12.49am Prime Minister Julia Gillard has expressed her condolences to the people of Japan.

On behalf of the people of Australia I want to express our very sincere condolences to the people of Japan and the government of Japan on the death and devastation we are seeing following the earthquake and tsunami. Like people around the world I've been watching the images on our TV screens - they are truly shocking.

12.37am Japanese police have reported a major explosion at a petrochemical complex in Sendai.

12.36am The first tsunami waves have hit Hawaii. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre says Kauai was the first island hit. Officials predicted Hawaii would experience waves up to two metres.

12.31am Tokyo's Narita airport has partially resumed flights. Officials from the airport said some departing flights were now taking off from the airport, but that it was not accepting arrivals. Around 10,000 people were stranded at Narita, and 1100 at Sendai airport, which saw its runways submerged by sweeping black floodwaters.

The picture below shows the tsumani sweeping its way into Sendai airport. Picture: AP / Kyodo News

Vehicles are crushed by a collapsed road at a carpark in Yabuki. Picture: AFP

Vehicles ready for shipping being carried by a tsunami tidal wave at Hitachinaka city in Ibaraki. Picture: AFP

12.15am The whereabouts of a ship carrying 100 people which was swept away by the tsunami are still unknown, the Kyodo news agency has reported.

12.03am The northern coast of Indonesia has been struck by a small tsunami. There are no reports of how much damage has been caused and people are still on alert for future waves. Small tsunami waves have also hit the Philippines, but there were no reports of local damage or casualties. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director Renato Solidum told a news conference the waves ranged from 30cm to one metre.

The graphic below shows the quake as a star and the estimated time the tsunami will take to hit surrounding Pacific regions. Full image available from NOAA.

Parts of houses already swallowed by the tsunami burn in Sendai. Picture: AP

11.42pm Latin America's Pacific coast is on tsunami alert. Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has declared a state of emergency and ordered people on the Galapagos Islands and the coast of the mainland to seek higher ground. Meanwhile, the tsunami is expected to reach Mexico's coastline within three to four hours.

11.31pm Some 2,000 residents living near Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant have been urged to evacuate.

11.25pm Japanese police have stated the death toll has reached 60 with 56 people still missing.

11.22pm More detail from The Associated Press on the state of emergency issued at a nuclear plant after its cooling system failed:

Chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano says the nuclear power plant in Fukushima developed a mechanical failure in the system needed to cool the reactor after it was shut down in Friday's earthquake.

He said the measure was a precaution and there was no radiation leak at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant. He said the facility was not in immediate danger.

11.15pm Tsunami sirens have sounded on coastal areas in Hawaii, where the first waves are expected to hit about 1.00am (AEDT). Waves about half a metre high hit Wake Island in the Northern Pacific, meaning the biggest waves to hit Hawaii could reach near 2 metres, said Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist for the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre. Residents in coastal areas across the Pacific from Hawaii to Guam were ordered to evacuate to shelters and higher ground. In Hawaii's tourist district of Waikiki, visitors were being moved to higher floors of their hotels.

We're preparing for the worst and we're praying for the best.

The graphic below shows the earthquake to hit Japan was one of the biggest since 1900.

The image below is a monitor for activity in the Pacific region.

Houses are in flame while the Natori river is flooded over the surrounding area in Natori city. Picture: AP

This picture shows the refinery plant at Ichihara in Chiba engulfed by flames. Picture: AFP

10.56pm Reports indicate New Zealand has downgraded the tsunami threat to a marine threat only.

10.50pm Hawaii has ordered the evacuation of all coastal areas as the threat of a tsunami nears. Main airports have been shut down as a precaution and the US Navy has ordered warships in Pearl Harbor to remain in port to support rescue missions.

10.36pm New Zealand has now issued its own tsunami warning and warns people to stay clear of beaches.

10.30pm US President Barack Obama has offered his condolences to the people of Japan and said his country stood ready to help them after the massive earthquake and tsunami.

(First Lady) Michelle (Obama) and I send our deepest condolences to the people of Japan, particularly those who have lost loved ones in the earthquake and tsunamis. The United States stands ready to help the Japanese people in this time of great trial.

The friendship and alliance between our two nations is unshakeable, and only strengthens our resolve to stand with the people of Japan as they overcome this tragedy.

Cars and other Debris swept away by tsunami tidal waves are seen in Kesennuma in Miyagi. Picture: AP

10.23pm Japan has declared a state of emergency because of the failure of the cooling system at one nuclear plant, according to the Associated Press. Officials say there has been no leak of radiation.

10.03pm BBC online has an account of the quake from Shola Fawehimni, who was at Hokkaido's airport in northern Japan when it hit:

It was a bit surreal. The chairs and the floor started moving and swaying. I wasn't really sure what was going on. Then the building started swaying and I realised it was an earthquake. Some ceiling panels fell down.

10.01pm UK Prime Minister David Cameron has offered Britain's condolences to Japan.

We send our sympathies and condolences to the Japanese people. We've had a terrible reminder of the destructive power of nature and everyone should be thinking of that country and its people and I've asked immediately that our government should look at what we can do to help.

9.50pm Authorities have said the death toll from the quake has risen to at least 32 people. The magnitude 8.9 offshore quake was followed by at least 19 aftershocks, most of them of more than magnitude 6.0.

A truck remains stranded on a road damaged by a powerful earthquake in Iwaki city. Picture: AP

9.48pm AAP is reporting thatfive Australian MPs are trapped on a bullet train that ground to a halt following the quake.

The federal Liberal member for Fadden, Stuart Robert said he and four other MPs were on the train when the earthquake hit. Mr Robert said he was with Labor MPs Stephen Jones and Amanda Rishworth, Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash and Victorian Labor MP Natalie Hutchins.

All five are reported to be unharmed.

Residents walk through the rubles of residents collapsed by a powerful earthquake in Iwaki. Picture: AP

9.22pm The Guardian website has the following live report from Tristan Mathers in Tokyo reporting life is going on as normal.

It's kind of crazy because restaurants and convenience stores have remained open despite there being no power. In the background you can hear sirens. People are still going to restaurants and getting food at convenience stores...

The city seems to be in pretty good shape. There's no damage, no buildings crumbling that I've seen. As I said some people are still eating in restaurants, even though it's pitch black. There's no power so I expect people are just trying to get back to normal.

The picture below shows flames rising from homes and debris half submerged in Sendai. Picture: AP

9.21pm The tsunami moving across the Pacific is currently so large it could pass right over whole islands in the region, experts are warning. From London's Independent:

The tsunami set off by Japan's major earthquake is currently higher than some Pacific islands which it could wash over, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said today.

"Our biggest concern is the Asia and Pacific region, where developing countries are far more vulnerable to this type of unfolding disaster. The tsunami is a major threat," Paul Conneally, spokesman for the Federation, the world's biggest disaster relief network, told Reuters in Geneva.

"At the moment, it is higher than some islands and could go right over them," he said.

Also, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii widened its warning to include most of the Pacific Ocean region.

9.12pm The Bureau of Meteorology says there is no tsunami threat for Australia. The latest Bureau of Meteorology update says Australia's mainland, islands and territories are safe.

Forecaster Chris Ryan from the National Meteorological and Oceanographic Centre said there was a chance that could change if the quake's magnitude is found to be higher.

But we're a fair while past the event now, it seems to have settled to that level. We're relatively sheltered.

8.50pm The USGS has a summary of the key seismological facts about the quake. It also provides some of the tectonic background to the earthquakes that hit the area.

At the latitude of this earthquake, the Pacific plate moves approximately westwards with respect to the North America plate at a velocity of 83 mm/yr. The Pacific plate thrusts underneath Japan at the Japan Trench, and dips to the west beneath Eurasia. The location, depth, and focal mechanism of the March 11 earthquake are consistent with the event having occurred as thrust faulting associated with subduction along this plate boundary.

8.44pm Reuters explains why, even in earthquake-prone Japan, this event is of frightening proportions. Excerpt:

Roiling water swept away homes, highways and the cars driving on them as waves 10 metres high hit the country's northeastern Pacific coast after the magnitude 8.9 quake, the biggest in nearly a century and a half.

The tsunami, black with soil and thick with debris, some of it ablaze, submerged farmland near the coastal city of Sendai, and television images showed upended cars bobbing up and down in the water. Boats were floating in an inland sea.

The quake rattled skyscrapers in Tokyo further south, where the streets around the main train station were packed with commuters stranded after buses and trains were halted.

8.43pm Acting Prime Minister Wayne Swan says Australia stands ready to assist Japan.

8.38pm The pictures below show the scale of the damage to stricken cities following the earthquake and tsunami.

A man shelters beneath a desk in Sendai, Miyagi Prefect. Picture: AFP

Black smoke emerged from a building in Tokyo's Koto Ward. Picture: AP

Vehicles are crushed by a collapsed wall at a carpark in Mito city in Ibaraki prefecture. Picture: AP

8.35pm The US Geological Survey reports the monster 8.9-magnitude earthquake which hit Japan was the country's biggest ever and the seventh largest on record.

Ships and boats are washed ashore in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefectur. Picture: AP

8.27pm National Police Agency said it would be quite some time until the actual toll from the disaster would be known.

"The damage is so enormous that it will take us much time to gather data."

8.13pm Philippine officials are ordering an evacuation of coastal communities along the country's eastern seaboard in expectation of a tsunami. The Philippine Volcanology and Seismology Institute director Renato Solidum says the first 1-metre high waves are expected to hit the northernmost Batanes islands by 5pm local time today.

The picture below shows Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture as it is struck by the tsunami. Picture: AP

8.12pm Google launches its person finder application for the tradgedy.

7.46pm AFP are reporting at least eight people have been killed with three being crushed to death when their houses collapsed in Ibaraki prefecture northeast of Tokyo.

7.41pm The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center said that any tsunami generated by the earthquake would hit Hawaii at around 2:45am (1245 GMT) and the West Coast at 7:45am (1545 GMT).

7.39pm Tsunami warnings have been issued for Russia, the Philippines and the Mariana Islands, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

They have also been extended to Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines, the Marshall Islands, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Nauru and Micronesia.

The United States later placed the West Coast and Hawaii on tsunami "watch," urging residents to stay tuned for more information, AFP reported.

The picture below shows a power plant on fire in Ishihara. Picture: AFP / HO / NHK

7.33pm Three people have now been confirmed dead included a 67-year-old man crushed by a wall and an elderly woman killed by a fallen roof, both in the wider Tokyo area.

6.45pm Agence France Presse reports that No radiation leaks have been detected from Japan's nuclear power stations after the quake.

6.35pm First quake death reported

6.11pm See pictures of quake impact here.

6.07pm In this picture reporters at the Associated Press Tokyo Bureau in Tokyo take shelter under a table as the earthquake strikes. Picture: AP.

5.23pm US Geological survey updates magnitude to 8.8.

5:13pm Russia, Taiwan, Phillipines and Hawaii on tsunami watch after a reported 7.9-magnitude earthquake strikes off Japan's northeastern coast.