A massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday setting off a devastating tsunami

A massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday, shaking office buildings in Tokyo and setting off a devastating tsunami that swept away cars and boats.

The monster earthquake was the country's biggest ever and the seventh largest on record, according to US Geological Survey data.

Ship carrying about 100 people swept away by the huge tsunami and its fate was unknown. More than 300 houses either collapsed or were washed away after Friday's quake. A passenger train with an unknown number of people aboard was missing.

Police in Japan's tsunami-hit Sendai say 200-300 bodies found on coast. Japanese press reported earlier that the death toll has reached 26. The National Police Agency, charged with compiling nationwide data on natural disasters, could not immediately confirm the figures. "The damage is so enormous that it will take us much time to gather data," an official at the agency said.

Japanese television showed aerial footage of an ominous 13-foot muddy wave washing across land along the northeastern coast near the epicenter.

In various locations, live TV coverage showed massive damage from the tsunami, with dozens of cars, boats and even buildings being carried along by waters. Waves could be seen splashing into city streets and over bridges.

All trains in Tokyo were stopped, and black plumes of smoke rose over the skyline. In the nation with the world's third-largest economy, all airports were closed. Also, a fire broke out in the turbine building of Onagawa nuclear plant in Miyagi Prefecture on, Kyodo News reported. It was not immediately clear if there was a risk of a radioactive leak as a result of the fire.

The Japanese government told 2,000 residents living by a nuclear plant in Fukushima to evacuate. Police reported major explosion at petrochemical complex in Sendai.

Earlier Friday Prime Minister Naoto Kan had said no radiation leaks have been detected from Japan's nuclear power stations after the massive quake struck the country. Four Japanese nuclear power plants closest to the epicentre of the quake have been safely shut down, the UN atomic watchdog said Friday.

Taiwan's central weather bureau warned people living on the island's east and northeast coasts to be on guard for tsunamis set off by the major quake.

New Zealand civil defense officials issued a tsunami warning for the country and warned people to stay clear of beaches.