Japan PM Abe visits quake-hit Hokkaido as toll rises to 37

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the quakehit northern region of Hokkaido Sunday, as officials confirmed two more deaths bringing the toll to 37.

Abe toured the city and commercial hub of Sapporo, where Thursday’s 6.6-magnitude jolt has left houses tilted and roads cracked.

He was scheduled to take a helicopter ride to view the devastation in Atsuma, a small rural town which has seen most of the deaths caused by the quake.

A cluster of dwellings in the town were wrecked when a hillside collapsed from the force of the quake, creating deep brown scars in the landscape.

His visit comes as searchand-rescue operations continue around the clock to find two missing individuals.

The Hokkaido government said the death toll now stood at 37, with one body yet to be officially pronounced dead by a medical professional.

“There is on-and-off rain at Atsuma. The work is continuing to look for the missing persons,” a regional disaster management official said.

The central government has dispatched thousands of rescue workers, including SelfDefense Forces, to look for the missing pair with the aid of bulldozers, sniffer dogs and helicopters.

All 3 million households in Hokkaido lost power when Thursday’s quake damaged a thermal plant supplying electricity to the region.

Power has been nearly restored but officials are asking local residents and businesses to save energy, particularly after the weekend, as electricity supplies remain unstable.