KIEV, March 12 - Ukraine on Saturday offered to send search and rescue teams to Japan, which has suffered from its worst earthquake ever recorded, and a tsunami that wiped out small towns.

Ukraine also said it is ready to send nuclear accident control crews amid reports that the Japanese authorities have been struggling trying to get under control nuclear power stations damaged by the natural disaster.

“We have an aircraft ready to fly, now, with about 40 rescue experts and their search dogs,” a spokeswoman at the Emergency Situations Ministry said. “We are waiting for a request from the Japanese side.”