A POOLE teacher has told of the moment one of history’s most devastating earthquakes hit his Japanese classroom.

English teacher Matt Hill, 22, described how pupils cowered under desks as world's fifth biggest recorded earthquake shook the country.

The former Poole High School student was teaching in the Japanese province of Nara when the 8.9-magnitude quake struck the north east coast triggering a tsunami which left hundreds dead.

Mr Hill, who grew up in Oakdale, said: “It didn’t feel like a normal earthquake.

“It was much slower and rolling, normally it’s quicker and a sort of jerking motion.

“I joined all the teachers in the staff room watching the news on TV. I was surprised by how well the buildings seemed to hold up.

“Kids in the other building had to duck under their desks, which is part of the natural disaster drill.”

Fortunately Mr Hill is approximately 400 miles from the worst effected region of Sendai but he said he was worried about friends outside of Nara.

He said: “I had all the normal concerns. I know people who weren’t in Nara at the time so there’s obviously the worry about them.

“Fortunately everyone updated their Facebook pages to let everyone know they were alright.”

The world watched as the biggest recorded earthquake in Japan’s history hit the country on Friday afternoon.

Mr Hill, who studied A Level Psychology, Biology and Business Studies at Poole High School’s sixth form, he was confident the country could deal with the disaster.

“Japan is very adept at dealing with these kinds of disasters, although no one could be expected to tackle something of this magnitude with ease.”