Tokyo - Japanese rescuers were Saturday desperately searching
for missing residents whose houses were buried by landslides
triggered by a powerful earthquake on the northern island of
Hokkaido.
At least 21 people died in the magnitude-6.7 quake that hit Hokkaido
early Thursday. Thirteen people remain missing, government spokesman
Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.
About 40,000 people, including soldiers, firefighters and police
officials, "are working around the clock to engage in search and
rescue operations," Suga said.
The search operations were focusing on a sparsely populated area of
Atsuma Town, where the quake set off massive landslides that
destroyed houses and roads.
About 12,000 people were taking shelter in temporary evacuation
centres while a series of aftershocks continue to jolt the region.
Suga also warned of mudslides in disaster-stricken areas as heavy
rain was forecast for Hokkaido over the weekend.
Power has been almost restored two days after the quake caused a
blackout across the whole island, resulting in nearly 3 million
households losing electricity and affecting businesses and hospitals.
As of Saturday afternoon, about 10,600 households remained without
power, Hokkaido Electric Power said.
Toyota Motor said it had decided to halt almost all its production in
Japan on Monday as its factory on Hokkaido was closed due to the
blackout. Japan's largest carmaker produces transmissions at the
plant.