A magnitude 8.9 earthquake rocked Japan today, causing a 23-foot tsunami that's plowed a path of destruction that killed at least 300 people, washed away cars and bridges, and knocked out nuclear power plants.  Japanese officials have already found 200 to 300 bodies in a northeastern coastal city of Sendai. Another 137 people have been confirmed dead and at least 627 people are injured, the Associated Press reported.
The earthquake is now officially the fifth largest earthquake in recorded history, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Japanese broadcasters reported collapsed buildings, power outages and transportation disruptions throughout Japan. In Tokyo, 230 miles fromt the hardest hit areas, highways were shut down early Saturday and surface streets remained jammed as commuters continued trying to get to their homes in outlying areas.

Video aired by Japanese broadcaster NHK showed widespread fires in the port city of Hakodate, in the southern part of Hokkaido island in northern Japan. An oil refinery was burning in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo, according to NHK, and firefighters could not get close enough to fight it because of the heat. And Kyodo News said fires could be seen in extensive areas of Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture.

The prime minister said an emergency task force had been activated, and appealed for calm. The government dispatched 8,000 troops to assist in the recovery effort and asked for U.S. military assistance, according to Kyodo.

Resources :
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/japan.quake/index.html?hpt=T1
http://abcnews.go.com/International/tsunami-major-damage-89-quake-northern-japan/story?id=13111113