TOKYO -- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 and a
number of aftershocks rocked Japan's Hokkaido prefecture, Japan Meteorological
Agency (JMA) said, with one person found with no vital signs.
The major temblor was centered in the Hokkaido prefecture at 3:08 a.m. local time Thursday (1808 GMT Wednesday), with the epicenter at a latitude of 42.7 degrees north and a longitude of 142.0 degrees east and at depth of 37 km, according to the JMA.
The earthquake logged upper 6 in some areas of Hokkaido prefecture on
the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at 7, according to the JMA.
Dozens of aftershocks followed, including one with a preliminary
magnitude of 5.4 that hit the prefecture at 6:11 a.m. local time (2111 GMT
Wednesday).
Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said that the Tomari nuclear power
plant operated by Hokkaido Electric Power Co.' s, had lost an external power
source, and a spent fuel pool of its reactors was currently being cooled by an
emergency power supply system.
The JMA said there might be a slight sea-level change in Japan's
coastal areas as a result of the 3:08 a.m. quake.
Local police said they had received multiple reports of injuries as a
result of the quake, including an 82-year-old man who was found with no vital
signs after falling down the stairs in his residence during the quake.
A number of houses in the quake-stricken areas have been confirmed
collapsed, with rescue work underway for those possibly buried under the
houses, according to local officials.
The quake has also triggered power blackouts across a wide area in
Hokkaido affecting millions of households, and hundreds of thousands of
households were reported with no water supply.
The Japanese central government has set up a liaison unit at the crisis
management center of the prime minister's office to gather information on the
quake.
Japan's weather agency warned that earthquakes with a similar magnitude
might still hit the quake-struck region in the following week. (Xinhuanet)
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