BIG QUAKE HITS ISLAND OF HOKKAIDO
A powerful earthquake on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido triggered dozens of landslides Thursday that crushed houses under torrents of dirt, rocks and timber, prompting frantic efforts to unearth survivors.
At least nine people were killed, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. Officials said at least 366 were injured, and about 30 people were unaccounted for after the magnitude 6.7 earthquake jolted residents from their beds at 3:08 a.m.
Blackouts cut off water to homes, immobilized trains and airports, and shut down phone systems. The island’s only nuclear power plant, which was offline for routine safety checks, temporarily switched to a backup generator to keep its spent fuel cool. Nuclear regulators said there was no sign of abnormal radiation, a concern after a quake shut off power and caused a meltdown at a plant in Fukushima Prefecture in 2011.