Warwick University scientists ‘safe’ after Japanese earthquake

The university has a small number of staff working at the Jparc facility in the coastal town of Tokai around 2.5 hours north of Tokyo.

The physicists had been working on an experiment using a particle accelerator, in which neutrinos - sub atomic particles - were fired 300km through the earth’s crust as part of research into the formation of the universe.

Because of the orientation of the coastline, the site, which is only around 100m from the shore and some 10m above sea level, escaped damage from the series of waves, which destroyed entire towns.

Nonetheless the earthquake caused extensive damage to buildings and the proton accelerator itself, and staff have not yet been allowed to return.

Dr Gary Barker, a reader in particle physics, said that with telephones not working, it had been difficult establishing contact and that it had been a “minor miracle” that people had escaped harm.

He said: “The job in the past few days has been trying to account for everybody.

“As it stands we know there has been some damage to the site. The lucky thing for us was that the tsunami didn’t come onto the site.

“Everyone is safe. The people who were there from the UK are being repatriated. They have been through a bit of a rough time in the past few days. There has been no power and no water. Some of them couldn’t go back to where they were living and they have had to assemble in a community centre.”