Homes in the Japanese town of Atsuma were submerged in dirt today as a 6.7 magnitude earthquake triggered a massive landslide there.
About 10 people have been taken to hospital with injuries and about 20 others are missing as a result of the slip, which covered a "large" number of homes at the foot of a ridge on the edge of the town, public broadcaster NHK is reporting.
Rescuers have been hampered by a widespread blackout in the northernmost main island of Hokkaido, where the tremblor was centred, The Japan Times reports.
The quake, which struck at about 3am local time, has triggered about 800 landslides altogether, according to Government official Yoshihide Suga.
A small coastal town of roughly 4700 residents, Atsuma is situated next to several rivers – the largest of which is dammed in the northern area of town.
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