Thirty UN rescue teams on standby to help Japan

Thirty international search and rescue teams stand ready to go to Japan to provide assistance following a major earthquake, the United Nations said on Friday.

"We stand ready to assist as usual in such cases," Elisabeth Byrs of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) told Reuters in Geneva.

"Thirty international search and rescue teams are on alert and monitoring the situation and stand ready to assist if necessary."

UN disaster assessment and coordination teams, who deploy in emergencies worldwide to try to locate and treat survivors, normally include sniffer dogs and medical teams.

The biggest earthquake to hit Japan in 140 years struck the northeast coast on Friday, triggering a 10-metre tsunami that swept away everything in its path, including houses, cars and farm buildings on fire.