JAPAN EARTHQUAKE: Cars shake along busy Osaka motorway top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The 6.6 magnitude quake struck at 7.07pm BST (3.07am Thursday local time) at a depth of 33.4km, collapsing walls and shaking buildings. The quake was located 17 miles (27.3km) east of Tomakomai, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). USGS said it was also centered 40.3 miles (64.8km) south-east of the island’s capital Sapporo, home to 1.8 million people. No tsunami threat has been issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, although there may be some slight changes in sea levels around Japanese coastlines. The US Consulate General Sapporo tweeted: “Large portions of Hokkaido remain without power and local authorities urge drivers to exercise caution at intersections, as traffic signals may be affected.” Worried residents shared their experience of the earth moving with one Twitter user writing: “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…” Where is Hokkaido? The quake was located in the southwestern tip of Hokkaido, Japan’s most northern isle in its archipelago. Japan earthquake MAP: Where is Hokkaido? Like all of Japan, Hokkaido is seismically active sitting on the Ring of Fire, which is responsible for 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes. A 8.3 magnitude earthquake struck the island on September 25, 2003, causing extensive damage and landslides. Hokkaido is a mountainous region with several active volcanoes. But hikers and skiers regularly flock there to enjoy the wildlife and nature of its vast national parks and stunning lakes. Japan earthquake MAP: Japan has just seen its biggest typhoon of 25 years pass through Japan’s citizens have only largely settled in the region within the last 100 years due to its rugged terrain and huge size. Much of the population lives by the sea. Noboriso official Kenji Yamamoto told Japanese broadcaster NHK there were no reports of any deaths or injuries. Video reports showed a brick wall collapsed and broken glass in a home. Japan earthquake MAP: Some damage occurred inside Chitose Airport on Hokkaido<doc-sep>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 9 people were killed in Thursday's earthquake, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Friday. The government had previously said 16 people died, but Suga told reporters later that this figure was incorrect and officials had mistakenly also counted those who suffered heart attacks due to the quake. 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. Search and rescue teams are still looking for 26 people missing in the western town of Atsuma in Hokkaido Prefecture. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that more than 22,000 people were involved in the rescue efforts, as the northern island still deals with the after effects of the magnitude-6.6 quake, which caused landslides that buried homes and other buildings. Electricity was restored to around 1.4 million buildings as of Friday morning, Abe added, around half of all of those which initially lost power. Read More<doc-sep>UPDATE: 5:41 p.m. EDT—Following a magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Hokkaido, Japan, on Wednesday, public broadcaster NHK shared footage of a massive landslide in the town of Atsuma. NHK said "a large number of houses were crushed" by the landslide, though it was unclear whether there were any injuries or deaths. In the town of Atsuma, a large number of houses at the foot of a long ridge were crushed by massive landslides and road were buckled and broken. NHK WORLD-JAPAN is LIVE streaming the Hokkaido earthquake updates. https://t.co/QbGNxwoMjt pic.twitter.com/y8Pz6hs4Yb — NHK WORLD News (@NHKWORLD_News) September 5, 2018 Original story: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit four miles from Atsuma, Hokkaido, Japan, on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey confirmed. The earthquake hit around 3:00 a.m. local time at a depth of 33.4 kilometers, southeast of Sapporo, the regional capital. A blackout was reported across Hokkaido following the earthquake, and the city of Abashiri asked residents to conserve water while the power was out. It appeared that the quake also triggered a large landslide in the town of Atsuma, The Japan Times reported. The earthquake also caused buildings to collapse, according to Agence France-Presse, though it was unclear how severe the damage was. Public broadcaster NHK reported there were some people trapped in collapsed structures. It was not immediately clear whether there were any injuries or deaths. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami warning in effect following the quake. "There are risks of landslides and homes collapsing," a Japan Meteorological Agency official said in a press conference, according to The Japan Times. "Please don't go anywhere deemed dangerous." A magnitude 7 earthquake is characterized as major, sudden and severe earthquake, occurring every 50 years in a population. Japan was just hit by Typhoon Jebi, the strongest such storm to affect the region in 25 years. Jebi killed 11 people and injured another 600, The New York Times reported. Parts of Japan were flooded, triggering widespread evacuation orders.<doc-sep>Japan earthquake: HUGE lightning storm in Hokkaido top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The latest natural disaster hitting Japan during one of the country’s most difficult summers killed at least four people, with more than 30 still missing. Authorities expect the death toll to rise as the landslide that followed the tremor may have buried many. The quake, which struck on Wednesday, also badly damaged buildings and infrastructures, leaving many in the dark and thwarting some attempts to move the island’s residents. Hokkaido Electric Power Co, the monopoly electric company of the island, had to perform an emergency shutdown of all its fossil fuel-fired power plants after the quake, leaving its 2.95million households without power for the first time since it was created, in 1951. Approximately 12 hours later, the power had been restored only to parts of Sapporo, Hokkaido's capital, and Asahikawa, its second-most populated city, a spokesperson for the power plant said. But industry minister Hiroshige Seko warned it could take up to a week to restore power everywhere in the island. Japan’s industry ministry added the Tomato-Atsuma plant, operated by Hokkaido Electric Power Co and located in the southern part of the island, has been damaged, without specifying the nature of the damage. This coal-fired power plant supplies half of the electricity to Hokkaido’s households. Japan earthquake: The island was left without power after the quake Local news agency SNA wrote on Twitter: “Hokkaido Electric's Tomato-Atsuma Thermal Power Plant was significantly damaged in the earthquake, and it seems that there will be no quick resumption of electricity services for part or all of Hokkaido.” Hokkaido Electric runs more than 50 power plants, including the Tomari nuclear power plant, on the western side of the island. The nuclear site suffered a power outage, but officials said it was cooling its spent nuclear fuel safely. The station was closed after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011, causing the meltdown of three reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex. Japan earthquake: Tomari nuclear power plan as seen from above Japan earthquake: The quake triggered devastating landslides The lack of power generated chaos throughout the island, when emergency services are still digging in the rubbles looking for survivors. A doctor in Abira, the town next to Atsuma said: "Without electricity, there's nothing I can do except to write prescriptions.” Police directed traffic because signal lights were out.” Drink-vending machines, ubiquitous in Japan, and most ATMs were also not working. Transports were also badly affected, as all trains across the island were halted. Japan earthquake: The 6.7-magnitude quake struck on Wednesday Moreover, Hokkaido's main airport, New Chitose Airport, was shut in the aftermath of the quake, which struck nearby. Aerial pictures of the area show roof tiles and water on the terminal floors. The airport will remain closed at least throughout Thursday, affecting more than 200 flights and 40,000 passengers, according to Kyodo News agency. Despite the islands relies mostly on farming, the power shortage also badly affected a number of industrial plants and factories. A fire broke out at a steel production facility at Mitsubishi Steel Manufacturing's joint venture with Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp in Muroran. Japan earthquake: Hokkaido Electric Power Co's Tomato-Atsuma plant<doc-sep>
The death toll has risen to 16 after the magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Hokkaido. Dozens are still missing after the quake triggered landslides at the tourist hotspot. More than 22,000 search and rescue personnel are still looking for 26 people missing in the western town of Atsuma in Hokkaido Prefecture, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. More than 150 people were injured by the quake, most in the capital city of Sapporo. The landslides buried houses and brought Hokkaido to a standstill with widespread power and transport cuts. The island’s fossil-fuel power plant, Hokkaido Electric Power Co, shut down as a precaution after the quake. By early Friday, much of the island had its power restored but it reported it could take at least a week to restore power fully. The powerful quake, which struck in the early hours of the morning, lasted about a minute, jolting residents from their beds. Japan earthquake: Dramatic photographs show the landslides which wiped out the tiny town of Atsuma Japan earthquake MAP: The landslides buried houses and brought Hokkaido to a standstill Dramatic photographs show the landslides which wiped out the tiny town of Atsuma, near the epicentre. Photos from Sapporo showed huge cracks in the street and subsided houses. Helicopter rescue crews were dispatched and have airlifted about a dozen people to safety. Evacuation shelters have been set up around the region. Japan earthquake: There is the additional risk that weekend buildings could still collapse The Japan Meteorological Agency said aftershocks continued throughout Thursday and could remain a risk for the next week. There is the additional risk that weekend buildings could still collapse, further shaken by the tremors. The quake was the second disaster to hit Japan this week alone after Typhoon Jebi ripped through Osaka on Tuesday. Jedi has been called the worst typhoon to hit the country in 25 years, stranding thousands of tourists as Kansai international airport shut on Tuesday. Japan earthquake: More than 22,000 search and rescue personnel are still looking for 26 people Japan earthquake: Evacuation shelters have been set up around the region