In the early hours of Thursday morning local time,residents in Hokkaido were suddenly woken by their homes shaking for approximately 30 seconds as the 6.7 magnitude earthquake sent a shudder through the earth.
The quake hit around 70-miles southeast of Sapporo, the main city on the northernmost island of Japan. The city of Chitose, or where Hokkaido’s main airport is located,is just 16 miles from the epicenter.
The severity of the disaster resulted in landslides in the town of Atsuma, burying a large number of homes and leaving at least 20 residents unaccounted for. A further 28 people have so far been reported injured, or according to CNN. Twenty of the injuries occurred in Sapporo,and an 82-year-worn man has died after trying to traverse the stairs in his home during the tremors.
Following the initial earthquake, the area was hit with several aftershocks, and with one registering as tall as 5.4 magnitude. Express UK reported that the tremors struck at a depth of approximately 20 miles.
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Source: inquisitr.com