Discovery Channel: Megaquake, hour that shook Japan documentary Part 1 of 3

Discovery Channel's new one-hour special MEGAQUAKE: HOUR THAT SHOOK JAPAN will tell, through the eyes of those who lived it, the story of the moment the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck northeast Japan on March 11, 2011 and the tsunami that followed, resulting in more than 12,000 deaths. Poignant testimonies and remarkable footage captured that day will reveal what happened in those crucial moments following the quake as a tsunami barreled toward land at 500 miles per hour. The special will also examine scientifically what happened that day and attempt to piece together when Mother Nature may strike again. MEGAQUAKE: HOUR THAT SHOOK JAPAN, featuring exclusive interviews and never before seen footage, premieres on Discovery Channel on Sunday, April 24 at 10PM e/p and will subsequently roll out on Discovery networks around the world.

Discovery Channel and its production partner, Darlow Smithson Productions, includes in its movie an exclusive sound recording captured at the Wake Island hydro-acoustic station 2,000 miles away in the Pacific Ocean. The station belongs to the global monitoring network of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). The recording, made by ultra sensitive hydrophones at a depth of 1,300 meters, was subsequently sped up by 32 times so it could be audible to human ears - enabling people to hear the actual sound of a 600km long section of the fault line in the earth's crust rupturing and grinding against rock with the power of 600 million Hiroshima bombs.

Viewers will also hear the very personal stories of those who experienced events of March 11th. Firefighter Takayama Yukio was inside the nuclear plant when the earthquake struck. He will recall the sense of fear and desperation among those inside. The special also includes footage of Yukio and his fellow firefighters inside the reactor.

In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, Japan's Sendai Airport was a nightmare - cars were strewn about the runway, debris littered the terminal and there was no power. Hear about the chain of events in an exclusive interview with the air traffic controller, Kibuna Yoshihiko, who was on duty that day.

The special also features interviews with Americans who were in Japan on March 11th, including Paula Lutze who was teaching school in Sendai. Exclusive footage shows Lutsy in school that day. She was instrumental in rescuing children caught up in the chaos of the tsunami.

Additionally, the new Discovery special will examine the Pacific Ring of Fire - a name given to the region devastated by natural disasters in recent years - to assess whether the earth's tectonic plates are in a phase of increased activity, which could result in further seismic events. Through exclusive interviews with top seismologists and oceanographers, the documentary will piece together where Mother Nature might strike next.

MEGAQUAKE: HOUR THAT SHOOK JAPAN is produced for Discovery Channel by Darlow Smithson Productions, where Tom Brisley and Guy Davies are executive producers and Simon Young is producer. For Discovery Channel, Stephen Reverand is executive producer.