The Magnitude 6.7 quake struck 70 miles south of Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido shortly after 7pm BST (3am Thursday local time), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Local government officials are reporting that a 82-year-old man has died after falling down the stairs in his home during the earthquake, and have confirmed that three more people passed away following the devastating tremor. Another 33 people are still missing. But public broadcaster NHK said that six people were found in cardiopulmonary arrest, a term commonly used in Japan before death is formally confirmed, and authorities expect the death toll to further rise as rescuers searched houses buried by landslides.
A further 120 people were injured, with at least 10 being taken to hospital. Japanese TV showed damaged buildings and quoted police as saying some people had been trapped in collapsed structures. The tremor, which lasted for about 20 seconds, triggered a landslide which covered homes in the rural town of Atsuma trapping residents inside. Aerial footage showed scenes of devastation, with mounds of reddish earth and toppled trees piled up at the edge of green fields, and the collapsed remains of what appeared to be houses or barns could be seen scattered around. Other scenes from the southeastern part of Sapporo showed crumbled roads and mud flowing onto a main street. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said officials have set up a command center to coordinate rescue efforts.
There were dozens of landslides and significant damage in the Sapporo
The entire island lost power for the first time since Hokkaido Electric Power Co was created in 1951, as shortly after the tremor the utility conducted an emergency shutdown of all its fossil fuel-fired power plants. All trains acros the island were also halted. Scared residents took to Twitter to share testimonies of the terrrifying night. One Twitter user said: “Just woke up to a pretty damn big earthquake in Sapporo. "I've been through quite a few before and I'm shaking like a leaf right now. In fact, we're getting an aftershock right now…”
Japan earthquake: A powerful Magnitude 6.7 quake has struck near Sapporo
The quake knocked out power to Hokkaido's 5.3million residents
They are likely referring to the 5.4 magnitude aftershock which hit Hokkaido island shortly after the main earthquake. The tremor struck at an approximate depth of 25 miles, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The epicenter was just 16 miles from the city of Chitose, home to Hokkaido's main airport. A Twitter user named Licia said: “My friends. We just had a major #earthquake here in Japan. #Hokkaido. #Sapporo. "We are in the dark, but otherwise fine. Omg! It was humongous. No information on magnitude. Internet still works for now.”
Houses were hit by landslides following the 6.7-magnitude quake
USGS said the earthquake is not expected to generate a tsunami based on its intensity, depth and historic tsunami records. Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido prefecture with a population of nearly two million people. Kenji Yamamoto, an official in Noborito, told public broadcaster NHK there were no reports of injuries or death in that town. Japan sits in the "Ring of Fire" arc of volcanoes and oceanic trenches that partly encircles the Pacific Basin. The island nation accounts for around 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of Magnitude 6 or greater.
At least two people were killed and 38 were missing after the quake
Tokyo (CNN) Yet another natural disaster has struck part of Japan, continuing a summer of chaos that has seen the country weather deadly floods, typhoons, earthquakes, landslides and heatwaves.
At least seven people were killed when a magnitude-6.7 quake struck the northern island of Hokkaido early Thursday, causing landslides which buried a large number of homes at the foot of a ridge.
Photo taken Sept. 6, 2018, from a Kyodo News airplane shows the site of a landslide in Atsuma, Hokkaido, northern Japan, triggered by an earthquake with preliminary magnitude of 6.7 that struck the region.
More than 150 people were injured by the quake, mostly in Sapporo, said Kazuya Isaki, an official with the Crisis Management Office of Hokkaido Prefecture Government. Dozens of people are missing in Atsuma, near the epicenter of the quake, where four of the deaths occurred.
Police search for missing persons around a house destroyed by a landslide after a powerful earthquake in Atsuma town, Hokkaido, northern Japan.
Public broadcaster NHK reported that flights and public transport across the region had been brought to a standstill
Nearly 3 million households lost power, according to the Hokkaido Electric Power Company. Officials said a main power station lost operations, affecting other sites. Independently owned power generators were assisting.
In this aerial image, houses are buried by multiple landslides after a powerful earthquake jolt on September 6, 2018 in Atsuma, Hokkaido, Japan.
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Six of the deaths were in the village of Atsuma, National broadcaster NHK reported.
With swathes of the country further south recovering from Typhoon Jebi, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that 25,000 troops and other personnel were being dispatched to the area to help with rescue operations.
NHK showed the moment the quake struck the city of Muroran, with its camera violently shaking and all city lights going black moments later. In Sapporo, a mudslide on a road left several cars half buried.
Akira Fukui, from the main city of Sapporo, told AFP: "I woke up around 3am with a vertical jolt. I put the light on but it went out shortly afterwards. All the traffic lights are out and there's no power at work."
Image copyright EPA/Jiji Press Image caption Officials warned of aftershocks in the coming days
Japan's northern island of Hokkaido has been hit by a powerful earthquake, triggering landslides that engulfed houses.
At least eight people have been killed and about 40 are missing, say local media reports.
The magnitude 6.7 quake cut power to around three million homes after a thermal power plant was damaged.
The earthquake comes on the heels of a deadly typhoon lashing the west of Japan over the past few days.
Jebi, the strongest typhoon to hit the country in 25 years, killed at least 10 people and caused widespread damage and disruption.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The earthquake caused landslides which engulfed houses
Image copyright EPA/Jiji press Image caption Houses collapsed after powerful mudslides
The tremor struck 62km (39 miles) south-east of the regional capital Sapporo in the early hours of the morning.
It posed no tsunami risk, the country's meteorological agency said.
A nuclear plant - which was not operational - had to switch to its back-up power supply to keep spent fuel cool.
Image copyright Kyodo/via Reuters Image caption Regional capital Sapporo was also hit
Local residents and travellers in the region have shared their shock about the quake on social media.
They also write about long lines at food stores as people stock up on supplies amid fears of more tremors.
Authorities have warned of possible aftershocks and urged people to remain cautious.
"Large quakes often occur, especially within two to three days [of a big one]," Toshiyuki Matsumori of the meteorological agency said according to news agency AFP.
"We urge residents to pay full attention to seismic activity and rainfall and not to go into dangerous areas."
Image copyright Kyodo/via Reuters Image caption Much of the damage was done by landslides destroying houses and cutting power lines
Japan is one of the world's most seismically active nations and accounts for around 20% of quakes worldwide of magnitude 6.0 or more.
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