Thousands dead, thousands missing, debris everywhere and suffering.

The subsequent tsunami raged in the port city of Hachinohe in the northeast, leaving behind a trail of utter devastation. But in the whole mess there is a small miracle.

Tsuna Kimura, an 83-year old woman who lived alone in the town of Ishinomaki, Japan, escaped the tsunami by fleeing on her bicycle.


Tsuna Kimura

When she heard about the tsunami warning, she did the first thing that came to mind and jumped on her bicycle.

"I thought Japan would disappear in the water. Everything is destroyed. I have no idea where to go now," said the 83-year-old.

Though she has two children, she was living alone at the time of the quake. Thankfully, she escaped. Her home has since been flooded and destroyed by last Friday's events.

Water bombs
Attempts to cool down a stricken reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan have suffered a further setback with radiation levels rising rather than falling after attempts to douse it with hoses. Six fire engines and a police water cannon were sent in yesterday to spray the No 3 reactor. But radiation emissions rose from 3,700 microsieverts per hour to 4,000 per hour.

Radiation spreads
Radiation detectors at Dallas-Fort Worth and Chicago O'Hare airports were triggered when passengers from flights that started in Tokyo passed through customs, the New York Post reported.