Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido has been hit by a powerful earthquake, triggering landslides that engulfed houses.

Japan-earthquake

Jebi, the strongest typhoon in 25 years, killed at least 10 people and caused widespread damage and disruption, where at least eight people have been killed and about 40 are missing, and following it was the deadly earthquake and mudslides around Sapporo region, where no further reports are yet to come.

The magnitude 6.7 quake cut power to around three million homes after a thermal power plant was damaged. The earthquake came on the heels of a deadly typhoon lashing the west of Japan over the past few days.

The tremor struck 62 km (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.

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,” Toshiyuki Matsumori of the meteorological agency said according to AFP news agency.

“We urge residents to pay full attention to seismic activity and rainfall and not to go into dangerous areas.”

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.