By Raghav Gautam
A tribute in the form of a minute’s silence was paid to commemorate the nearly 20,000 people that had lost their lives to the triple disaster 10 years ago today.
A number of people walked to the coast and to grave sites in order to pay their respects for their fallen loved ones. The minute’s silence was held nationwide at 2:46 pm local time (05:46 GMT) – the precise moment the 9.0 magnitude quake hit off Japan’s northeast coast on March 11, 2011.
News agencies from across the globe have taken cognisance of the importance of this day, with several tweeting and spreading awareness about it.
The disaster had heightened because there were multiple other far-reaching consequences. The earthquake gave rise to a massive Tsunami that swept inland. This went on to cause meltdowns at the ‘Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant’ that forced over 1,60,000 people out of their homes in order to flee radiation.
The devastation of the Tsunami was immense as about 18,500 people lost their lives with lakhs more getting displaced and left without homes. The Tsunami waves were as high as 20ft. in places.
The horrors of the triple disaster remain deeply entrenched in the minds of the people, not just in Japan, but across the globe. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple also took to Twitter to share his condolences.
Ten years after the devastating tragedies in Eastern Japan on 3/11, we honor the lives lost. We stand strong with our friends & colleagues in Japan and admire their resilience, courage & strength. 🇯🇵
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) March 11, 2021
The Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, led the memoir service in Tokyo.
In this explainer video by the National Geographic, it can be understood how the Tsunami came into being and how it escalated.
Japan faced an immense redevelopment challenge as the Tsunami had swept away great swathes from multiple establishments. Here is a small tabulation of the highlights from the disastrous events of 11th March, 2011.
