2011 JAPAN EARTHQUAKE
14.46 local time on March 11 2011, Japan was rocked by the Higashi Nihon Daishinsa, or Great East Japan Earthquake. A magnitude 9.0-9.1, the megaquake lasted six minutes. The earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves up to 40 metres high. The waves caused catastrophic damage along the Pacific coastline on Japan's northern islands.
Japan's worst ever natural disaster killed at least 16,000 people. Tens of thousands lost their homes.
One of the most heavily damaged communities was Onagawa. 70 per cent of the town was destroyed.
Witnesses in Onagawa say the tsunami reached at least 15 metres in height, surging one kilometre inland.
827 people died in Onagawa.
The World Bank estimated the economic cost at $235 billion, making it the costliest natural disaster in human history.
The human cost is incalculable. Normally in Japan when a person dies, they are cremated in a Buddhist ceremony. Because of the numbers of people who died during the tsunami, thousands had to be buried in mass graves.
The tsunami caused a major humanitarian crisis, forcing thousands of families to shelter in evacuation centres that were established in sports halls and school classrooms.
A photograph of a child found along a muddy bank near Onagawa. Save the Children estimate that up to 100,000 children were made homeless by the disaster.
Childhood lost. A child's toy outside a devastated school in Noribu.
At the time Japanese Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, said, "In the 65 years after the end of World War II, this is the toughest and the most difficult crisis for Japan".
Despite the daunting scale of the devastation, the Japanese authorities quickly mobilised thousands of emergency workers to help the most vulnerable people and to begin the clean-up operation.
Rescue workers from all over Japan joined the recovery effort to clear debris and search for human remains.
The Japanese Defence Force joined the tsunami clean up operation, airlifting earth moving equipment, personnel and humanitarian supplies to the worst affected areas.
Despite the tragedy, the Japanese people demonstrated remarkable resilience in response to the disaster.
The story of the Great East Japan Earthquake is ultimately one of hope and the enduring human spirit. As selfless relief workers toil in freezing conditions, a message scribbled on a piece of chipboard simply says, "All that lived here are safe".