(XINHUA/KYODO)

Reactor No.4 at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant catches fire on March 16 (XINHUA/AFP)

A Japanese military helicopter searches for survivors in a town in Miyagi Prefecture on March 12.

A massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit the northeast coast of Japan on March 11, triggering a huge tsunami. Many towns were wiped away by the tsunami, causing severe damage and mass casualties. As of March 16, the death toll had reached 3,676 with 7,558 people still missing.

The quake and tsunami also caused grave damage to a nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture. Radioactive leakage from reactor explosions and fires at the plant have already threatened the area nearby, and people across Japan and throughout the world are worried about a catastrophic release of radioactive material.