18 killed in Hokkaido quake

At least 18 people have been killed in a powerful earthquake that struck Japan's northern island of Hokkaido in the wee hours of Thursday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was quoted by The Japan Times as saying that there were 18 confirmed fatalities, while 24 others are still missing. In Atsuma, rescuers searched manually and used heavy machinery to dig through the rubble to find survivors. The Japanese government said that all the missing people are located in the town.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned of heavy rain, with chances of mudslides in Hokkaido on Saturday. The weather department added that aftershocks of a similar intensity to yesterday's 6.7 earthquake may occur again.

Casualties could rise in the disaster, as rescue operations are still underway. 300 people were injured in the quake, leaving thousands stranded without power and water facilities. Over 10,000 people were forced to spend the night at evacuation centres, the report said.

Transportation is slowly becoming available in the region, with some air and rail services already being operational on Friday. Meanwhile, Japanese industry minister Hiroshige Seko urged homes and offices with power to limit their use as much as possible.

The quake, which originated at a depth of 40 kilometers below southern Hokkaido, was recorded between 6 and 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in the town of Abira and in the lower 6 in Chitose city. Both cities are southeast of Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido. Several incidents of house collapses and landslides have also been reported from various parts of the island.