TOKYO, September 6, 2018 (News Wires) -- A Japanese nuclear energy station is relying on emergency back up power after a powerful earthquake knocked out electricity on the northern island of Hokkaido on Thursday, a stark reminder of the Fukushima disaster more than seven years ago. The three-reactor Tomari nuclear plant, operated by Hokkaido Electric Power and in shutdown since the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, lost power after a magnitude 6.7 quake hit the island in the early hours, the government said. The station's fuel rods are being cooled with emergency power supplied by diesel generators, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Thursday. There were no radiation irregularities at the plant, Suga said, citing the operator. The atomic regulator said the diesel generators have enough fuel to last seven days. The toll in a powerful 6.6-magnitude quake that rocked the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido early Thursday rose to eight, public broadcaster NHK said, after the strong tremor triggered landslides. NHK said six of the deaths were in the village of Atsuma, where a massive landslide caused by the quake engulfed homes. More than 100 have been injured and 19 are missing following the quake, according to NHK. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the major temblor was centred in the Hokkaido prefecture at 3.08 a.m. (Japan time) with the epicentre at a latitude of 42.7 degrees north and a longitude of 142.0 degrees east, and at depth of 40 km, Xinhua reported.
