2012 Photo Contest, General News, 2nd prize

Tsunami Aftermath

Photographer

Paolo Pellegrin

Magnum Photos for <em>Zeit Magazin</em>

14 April, 2011

Tsunami waves created by a massive earthquake off the northeastern shores of Japan caused wide-ranging destruction along the coast. Overwhelming the three worst-hit prefectures with an estimated 22.63 million tons of debris.

About the photographer

Paolo Pellegrin

Paolo Pellegrin was born in 1964 in Rome, Italy. He studied architecture at Sapienza Università di Roma, before moving on to photography at the Istituto Italiano di Fotografia, a...

Background story

Yamada, Iwate prefecture, Japan

Tsunami waves created by a massive earthquake off the northeastern shores of Japan caused wide-ranging destruction along the coast. Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima—the three worst-hit prefectures—were overwhelmed by an estimated 22.63 million tons of debris. The economic impact of the tsunami was immense, affecting not only regional fishing, trade, and farming, but also transport and industry nationwide. The World Bank estimated the overall economic damage of the tsunami at €178 billion, making it the natural disaster with the highest cost in world history.

Technical information

ISO
400
Camera
HASSELBLAD Xpan II

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