Powerful 6.6 quake strikes typhoon-hit Japan; landslides leave dozens missing
A powerful 6.6-magnitude quake rocked the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido today, killing two people, collapsing homes, and triggering landslides that left dozens missing. Multiple, large-scale landslides struck Hokkaido, which was also hit by the edge of a powerful typhoon that surged through Japan earlier this week. Around three million homes lost power after the quake damaged a major thermal plant supplying the region.
Aerial views showed dozens of houses destroyed at the bottom of a hill that was engulfed by a landslide, with a rescue helicopter winching a resident to safety. The Tomari nuclear power plant in Hokkaido, which was not operational before the quake, was forced to turn to emergency backup power to keep its cooling system working, NHK, Japan's public broadcasting organization, said.
Kazuo Kibayashi, 51, a town official at hard-hit Abira town, said, "There was a sudden, extreme jolt. It stopped before shaking started again. I am 51, and I have never experienced anything like this. I thought my house was going to collapse."
Moments after the initial quake, an aftershock measuring 5.3 rocked the area and dozens more aftershocks followed throughout the night and into the morning. No tsunami warning was issued after the relatively shallow quake, which struck 62km southeast of the Hokkaido's Sapporo. Around 20,000 rescue workers, including police and members of the Self-Defense Forces were responding to the disaster, government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, said.
Suga said two people have died, with media reporting around 40 were missing. Local media said the dead included an 82-year-old man who fell down the stairs at his home during the quake and that around 130 people had sustained minor injuries. "I urge people in areas shaken by strong quakes to stay calm, pay attention to evacuation information...and help each other," Suga added.
Japan is still recovering from the worst typhoon (Jebi) to hit the country in 25 years, which struck western Japan yesterday, claiming at least 11 lives and causing major damage to the region's main airport. Officials warned of the danger of fresh quakes.
The earthquake also caused travel disruption, with all flights canceled from Sapporo's main Chitose airport, where the quake brought down part of a ceiling. Local buses and train services were halted. Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko said it would take at least a week for power to be restored to nearly 3 million homes after a fire in the area's largest thermal plant was discovered.
The national meteorological agency warned that more bad weather could be on the way for Hokkaido, urging people to be vigilant for landslides, high tides, and heavy rain. Japan sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where many of the world's earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are recorded. In June, a deadly tremor rocked the Osaka region, killing five people and injuring over 350.
