The quake triggers a tsunami that threatens much of the Pacific. Up to 300 bodies are found in the city of Sendai in northeastern Japan, an area believed to have been hit hardest by the massive waves.
Reporting from Beijing and Tokyo — Hundreds are dead after the worst earthquake in generations struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday, setting off a devastating tsunami that swallowed swaths of coastal territory and fanned out across the Pacific Ocean, threatening everything in its path.
The 8.9-magnitude earthquake -- the world's fifth-largest since 1900 and the biggest in Japan in 140 years -- struck at 2:46 p.m. local time, shaking buildings violently in Tokyo for several minutes and sending millions fleeing for higher ground.
Nearby islands are bracing for the tsunami and warnings have been issued for 53 countries including ones as far as Colombia and Peru. Read More
China: Earthquake Kills Dozens in Southwest
An earthquake toppled more than 1,000 houses and apartment buildings in Yunnan Province near the border with Myanmar on Thursday...
