By Elizabeth Puranam
Along with the destruction, there are incredible stories of survival emerging from Japan.
They include the tale of one man, rescued from the sea, 15km off the coast of the Fukushima state.
Hiromitsu Arakawa, 60, waited two days to be saved, floating on what was the roof of his home, before it was swept away by the tsunami.
In the town of Natori, soldiers bring survivors to a school which is one of the few buildings standing.
Outside, three elderly people are pulled from a car, after being trapped for 20 hours. They were spotted below by survivors from a rooftop.
A father and son walked for three hours through the wreckage, searching for their wife and mother.
Miraculously, they find her at a rescue station.
But for every person rescued, there are many more left heartbroken, waiting for news of their loved ones.
The Japanese Prime Minister today called it the country’s “worst disaster since World War II”.
With thousands of people still missing, it’s not hard to see why.
3 News