Early-morning M6.7 earthquake hits Hokkaido, triggering landslides and blackout
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 rocked Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido early Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The agency said there may be a slight sea-level change in Japan’s coastal areas as a result of the 3:08 a.m. quake but that no damage is expected.
The temblor, which occurred in southern Hokkaido at a depth of about 40 km, logged upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale to 7 in the town of Abira and lower 6 in the city of Chitose, both southeast of Sapporo.
“There are risks of landslides and homes collapsing. Please don’t go near anywhere deemed dangerous,” said an official at the Meteorological Agency in a hastily arranged news conference.
NHK footage showed a huge landslide in the town of Atsuma in Hokkaido.
NHK also reported that shinkansen operations in Hokkaido have been suspended due to a blackout.
In Tokyo, the central government meanwhile set up a liaison unit at the crisis management center of the Prime Minister’s Office to gather information on the temblor.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed officials to ascertain the extent of damage and extend a helping hand to those affected.
The quake triggered a blackout across a wide area in Hokkaido. It also affected telephone service and television broadcasting in Sapporo.
The Hokkaido government said an 82-year-old man showed no signs of life after falling down a stairs in his residence in Tomakomai. Firefighters in Atsuma said two houses were confirmed to have collapsed.
Tohoku Electric Power Co. and Hokkaido Electric Power Co. said, respectively, that no abnormalities were detected at the Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori Prefecture or reactors 1 to 3 at the Tomari nuclear power plant in Hokkaido.
About 3 million households in Hokkaido are experiencing power outages, NHK also reported.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20.../#.W5BozBopChB
