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Japan TsunamiA tsunami-tossed boat rests on top of a building amid a sea of debris in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, on March 14—days after a magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck off the northeastern coast of Japan, triggering a devastating tsunami. The image was among 20 "unforgettable" pictures of the aftermath chosen by National Geographic editors, which became one of Nat Geo News's ten most viewed galleries of the year.The Japan earthquake and tsunami also led to a crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which leaked radioactive material into the surrounding region. The accident is now regarded as the largest nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl incident in 1986. (Also see rare pictures taken inside the damaged power plant.)(See more Japan tsunami pictures.)

Photograph by Yomiuri Shimbun, AFP/Getty Images