A Keighley man now living in Japan has spoken of the terrifying moment the country was hit by a massive earthquake.

English teacher Warren Crundall was sitting at a school desk preparing materials for a lesson when the quake, measuring nine on the Richter scale, struck.

Initially he thought it was just another “regular” tremor but it quickly became apparent that this was something more.

“The rumblings continued to intensify and anything on casters began to migrate across the room,” he said.

“The windows began to resonate and books started to tumble from the shelves. The intensification continued and as an ‘earthquake virgin’ I recalled the basic safety procedures taught in every school and community centre in Japan – open all doors to allow structural flexibility and then exit the building.”

When he got outside, the road was crowded with people anxiously watching houses, pylons, walls and cars shake violently.

He moved as far away as possible from walls and tall structures.

“I was finding it hard to keep my balance and was actually feeling physically sick,” said Warren.

“The resonance caused the road to vibrate so violently that cracks appeared and some areas actually subsided by up to one metre. A chain reaction followed and several people watched open mouthed as walls and supports collapsed.

“The earthquake ceased after about two minutes – that doesn’t sound long but believe me it feels like a long time! The sensation is hard to put into words and the internal balance in my body would not return to normal. Basically, I still felt like the ground was moving for about an hour afterwards.”

All telephone connections were lost and sirens sounded everywhere.

Warren rushed to a TV screen to see images of skyscrapers swaying in Tokyo, gas tanks exploding in Chiba and general chaos.

A warning was then issued about the ensuing tsunami, which was to sweep through coastal regions of the country.

“I am nowhere near the coast but I am sure everyone has seen the television footage,” he said.

“As I speak, bodies are being pulled out of the wreckage frequently. Complete towns have been wiped out by the water, which ravaged towns and cities. Cars were moved as if weightless and houses torn from their foundations.”

Following last Friday’s earthquake, Warren faced the major task of trying to get back from the city of Urawa to his home in Kawagoe, part of Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo.

He was unable to catch a train because railway tracks had sheared, leading to the suspension of services.

“Community spirit and the incredible efficiency and intelligence of the Japanese people took effect,” he said.

“Hotels quickly transformed their lobbies into temporary waiting areas and department stores opened and turned on heating systems - there was no fear of looting as the people are so trustworthy.

“I found a hotel and sat down with a cup of hot tea. People were trying to no avail to contact friends and family and school children were sat in groups hoping their parents could reach them somehow. Even in this highly technologically and economically developed country, nature had brought it to its knees.”

Eventually a family member was able to collect Warren by car and he arrived home at about 4am the next day.

“In Saitama people often talk of the relative safety of this area and ‘boast’ that earthquake risk is very low,” he said.

“We often feel a tremor here and generally pay it no mind but people expected ‘the big one’ at some point.

“As I speak the country is a mess both physically and emotionally. Train networks are not yet operational and rescue organisations from around the world have come here. The ground is still rumbling now and then as if to remind us of what could happen. It is going to take a long time for the tsunami-hit areas of Japan to recover and on top of that we now have threats of nuclear power plant radiation leaks!

“But as I expected Japan has reacted with calmness and determination and if I am correct, these resilient people will respond to this tragedy with incredible efficiency.”

Warren – who lived at Riddlesden – attended the former Grange Middle School in the village and Ermysted’s Grammar School at Skipton.

He then studied geological sciences at the University of Leeds.

In 2004, when he was 24, he embarked on a one-year working holiday visa in Australia where he met his future wife Tomoko.

They married and in 2006 moved to her native Japan. They have two sons, Ren and Riku.

Warren has taught in establishments ranging from kindergartens to the Honda Motor Company and just last week found a new job at a college in Mejiro, Tokyo.