Strong 6.7 magnitude earthquake shakes Japan

(FASTNEWS|COLOMBO) Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido has been hit by a powerful earthquake, triggering landslides that engulfed houses.

Two people had been killed and about 40 were missing, according to public broadcaster NHK.

The 6.7 magnitude quake cut power to around 3 million homes and shut down a nuclear plant in the region

The earthquake comes on the heels of a deadly typhoon lashing the west of Japan over the past few days.

The tremor struck 62km (39 miles) south-east of the regional capital Sapporo in the early hours of the morning.

It posed no tsunami risk, the country’s meteorological agency said.