Quake kills 7 in Japan
Nuclear plant catches fire
Afp, Tokyo
At least seven people were killed and nearly 700 others injured in the powerful earthquake that struck central Japan on Monday, officials said. The National Police Agency said four women and three men, all in their 70s or 80s, died from injuries sustained in the earthquake. At least 692 people were hurt and taken to hospitals in Niigata and Nagano prefectures, local authorities and hospital officials said. More than 300 buildings were completely destroyed and another 212 were partially damaged, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. The government set up a crisis management centre while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe broke off from election campaigning to race to the scene of the worst damage in Niigata prefecture. Raising fears among residents, smoke billowed for hours from a blaze at a nuclear power plant, one of the largest in the world, which supplies electricity to the Tokyo region. Plant officials said the reactors shut down automatically and that there was no radiation danger. More than 300 buildings were completely destroyed and another 212 were partially damaged, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
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People walk past damaged houses in Kashiwazaki yesterday. A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Japan , killing seven people and injuring hundreds as it toppled houses and sparked a fire at one of the world's biggest nuclear plants. PHOTO: AFP |
