A major earthquake (Mw = 9) hits the fishing port of Kesen-numa at 14 h 46 , followed by a giant tsunami at 15 h 26 which floods the estuary and the fishing port (waves height over 8 m). A coastal oil depot made of 23 storage tanks is swept away by the tsunami, 22 tanks (non anchored) are torn from their foundation and more than 12 800 m³ of oil mixes with seawater. Some tanks are found floating in the estuary more than 2.5 km away from of the depot. Inflammation of the mixture made by sea water and oil by hot source (probably a fishing ship wreck or a short circuit) causes a major fire in the urbanized area of the port at the bottom of the estuary. Tsunami survivors are evacuated by helicopter the following day. The fishing port is covered in a 5 cm sediment layer mixed with oil. No casulaties are related to the flooding of the depot, but 836 persons died and 1 196 persons are missing in the village owing to the tsunami. Reconstruction of the depot is planned no sooner than 5 years later, with burried oil tanks. Many other small storage tanks of oil in fishing ports have also been swept away by the tsunami along the Tohoku coast : port of Misawa, Kuji, Hachinohe, Ofunato, Ishinomaki; thus creating local spots of oil pollution.