Not long after images of Christchurch left our TV screens, we are now confronted with the appalling situation in Japan. The question, “how can this get any worse?” is being answered at regular intervals: first the earthquake, then the tsunami, with reports of thousands of people dead. Now there is an explosion at a nuclear power plant.
Horrifying pictures are being played continuously on the news channels, including terrible footage of a raging fire in Kesennumma. The BBC has live text and video coverage on its web site.