Seven Dead and 400 Hurt in Japan Quake

At least seven people died and more than 400 others were injured when an earthquake struck the north-west coast of Japan yesterday morning, sparking a blaze at the world's biggest nuclear power station and flattening dozens of buildings.

The quake, which measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, rocked towns in Niigata prefecture on the Japan Sea coast at 10.13am, triggering a tsunami warning that was later lifted, reports said.

Among the dead were two women in their 80s who were buried in the rubble of their homes. Hundreds of other people escaped with minor injuries, although there were fears that at least a dozen people were trapped in the ruins of older, wooden houses.

Nuclear power stations in the region shut down automatically during the earthquake, which also shook buildings in Tokyo more than 160 miles away.

Thick black smoke poured from Kashiwazaki nuclear plant, but the blaze, in an electrical transformer, was quickly extinguished and there were no radiation leaks, Tokyo Electric Power said.