The strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japan rocked the Tohoku region coast Friday afternoon, triggering tsunami including a 10-meter wall of water that submerged residential areas and farms and washed away scores of people, vehicles, boats and devastated ports.

The death toll is likely to surpass 1,000 as about 1,800 houses in Fukushima Prefecture were found to have been devastated, according to the Defense Ministry.

According to a National Police Agency tally as of 5:40 a.m. Saturday, at least 184 people were killed and 708 others were missing as a result of the magnitude 8.8 temblor.