Japan Earthquake, Tsunami Captured by TV, Amateurs (VIDEOS)

Japanese broadcasters and amateur videographers captured the scenes on the ground and in the air of the moments when an 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Japan.

Some videos from broadcasters also showed aerial shots of tsunami waves which were expected to hit the northeastern city of Sendai shortly after the quake as water levels suddenly rose sweeping away cars, boats, debris and even homes.

The effects of the quake were also seen hundreds of miles southwest in Tokyo where some observers caught pictures of swaying skyscrapers.

One of the earliest highly visible signs of quake damage came from massive fires at a chemical plant in Chiba prefecture, just west of Tokyo fireballs darkened the sky in images captured by one amateur videographer.

See the videos below:

In in one video, Tokyo Broadcasting System shows Tsunami damage as water sweeps tightly packed homes.

What appears to be amateur video shows swaying skyscrapers in Tokyo several hundreds of miles southwest of the quake’s epicenter off the northeastern coast of Sendai, which saw vast flooding.

Other video from Friday night shows a series of fires in Kesennuma, which is located north of Sendai.

Another broadcast shows indoor and outdoor scenes of devastation.

In one scene recorded by NHK world, water levels are seen quickly rising in Kamaishi in the Iwate prefecture of Japan.

Another video provided by NHK shows a fire breaking out in Chiba Prefecture at a large oil refinery.

At the same facility, a giant explosion is seen from the distance, apparently captured by an amateur videographer.

In another aerial report, aerial video showed the approaching tsunami and the farmland devastation that followed shortly thereafter as homes, cars and debris were pushed inland.