WorldA powerful 6.6-magnitude quake rocked the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido Thursday, triggering landslides, collapsing buildings, and killing at least two people with several dozen missing. Multiple, large-scale landslides struck the sparsely populated countryside, which was also hit by the edge of a powerful typhoon that surged through Japan earlier this week. Aerial views showed dozens of houses destroyed at the bottom of a hill that was engulfed by a landslide, with a rescue helicopter winching a resident to safety. Around three million homes lost power after the quake damaged a major thermal plant supplying the region. He added the risk of housing collapses and landslides had increased in the area hit by the quake, saying: "We urge residents to pay full attention to seismic activity and rainfall and not to go into dangerous areas."

Source: Sunday Times September 06, 2018 03:56 UTC