Kushiro, Japan, Sept 26: Japan's northern island of Hokkaido was slammed by a powerful earthquake early today that injured at least 323 people, cut off electricity and water to thousands more and set an oil storage tank ablaze in a spectacular fire. The magnitude-8 quake - the strongest anywhere in the world this year according to the US geological survey - forced the evacuation of some 41,000 people and blacked out 16,000 homes. Almost miraculously, there were no reports of deaths directly caused by the quake. By evening, only 1,400 evacuees remained in shelters, said Hiroyuki Nakao, a local government spokesman. Power had also been restored to all but about 2,000 homes. ``We get a lot of quakes here, and I assumed it would end quickly,'' said Fumiko Okuse, who owns a liquor store with her husband in this city of 200,000 about 890 kilometers northeast of Tokyo. ``But the shaking went on and on.''


Okuse said she immediately went to check on her store. ``Everything was thrown out of the refrigerators and all over the floor,'' she said. ``juice, beer, everything.''

The quake was centered in the pacific about 100 kilometers off Hokkaido's eastern shore. It was followed by several strong aftershocks and small tsunami, ocean waves generated by seismic activity.


Bureau Report