Thousands Injured, Homeless After Powerful Earthquake in Japan

Reports say four women and three men, in their 70s and 80s, died in the quake, most of them after being crushed when buildings collapsed.

Image: USGS

(KASHIWAZAKI, Japan) - At least eight people died and more than 1,000 others were injured when a powerful earthquake struck the north-west coast of Japan Monday morning, sparking a blaze at the world's biggest nuclear power station and flattening dozens of buildings.

The quake, measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, and rocked towns in Niigata prefecture on the Japan Sea coast at 10:13 AM, triggering a tsunami warning that was later lifted, reports said.

Japan yesterday began cleaning up after being battered for three days by Typhoon Man-Yi, which caused three deaths, injured hundreds of people and disrupted air and rail transport.

Many offices in Japan are closed today for Marine Day, a national holiday.

Radioactive water leaked from a nuclear reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant in Niigata because of the earthquake, Tokyo Electric Power Co. told the Kyodo news service.

The leak occurred at the plant's No. 6 reactor, which had automatically shut down when the tremors began, the company said.

Over 21,000 households in Niigata prefecture were without power, the Trade Ministry said in an e- mailed statement.

Over 10,000 people fled to evacuation centers as aftershocks rattled the area. Tens of thousands of homes were left without water or power reports said.

Supply of natural gas, a typical cooking fuel in Japan, was cut to 34,000 houses, the statement said.

More than 7,000 people in the quake-affected region have left their homes for evacuation centers, according to NHK, the Japan Public Broadcaster.

Powerful aftershocks followed the initial quake, with officials saying they expect further strong aftershocks in the coming week.