At a magnitude of 8.9, earthquake in Japan is being described as one of the worst in recorded history.<br /><br />It struck undersea off the east coast of Japan's northern Honshu island and sent devastating tsunami waves crashing ashore, killing hundreds.<br /><br />Night has fallen over Japan as the search and rescue effort begins but it promises to be a massive undertaking.<br /><br />Al Jazeera's Laurence Lee reports.
