Ten years ago, on a Friday afternoon in March 2011, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded struck Japan's eastern coast and caused a devastating chain reaction. The 9.0 magnitude quake was so forceful it shifted the Earth off its axis and triggered a tsunami that completely swept over the island of Honshu. More than 18,000 people were killed and entire towns were wiped off the map.
The 15-meter (50 feet) tsunami disabled the power supply and cooling of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which sparked a disastrous nuclear accident. As radiation leaked off the plant, 150,000 people were forced to evacuate from the area. A decade later, the area remains largely deserted. Japanese authorities believe it will take up to 40 years to finish the work.
In 2019, photographer Janine Pendleton traveled to the Fukushima region, and documented the sad aftermath of the disaster, almost a decade after it happened. Scroll to see Janine’s haunting photos, which in their own way, tell the story of the Fukushima Disaster.
Image source: Bored Panda
In a statement the photographer gave to Bored Panda, she described the deep emotional impact the abandoned region had on her, especially the schools.
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