FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

The Magnitude 6.7 quake struck 70 miles south of Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido shortly after 7pm BST (3am Thursday local time), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Local government officials are reporting that a 82-year-old man has died after falling down the stairs in his home during the earthquake, and have confirmed that three more people passed away following the devastating tremor. Another 33 people are still missing. But public broadcaster NHK said that six people were found in cardiopulmonary arrest, a term commonly used in Japan before death is formally confirmed, and authorities expect the death toll to further rise as rescuers searched houses buried by landslides.

A further 120 people were injured, with at least 10 being taken to hospital. Japanese TV showed damaged buildings and quoted police as saying some people had been trapped in collapsed structures. The tremor, which lasted for about 20 seconds, triggered a landslide which covered homes in the rural town of Atsuma trapping residents inside. Aerial footage showed scenes of devastation, with mounds of reddish earth and toppled trees piled up at the edge of green fields, and the collapsed remains of what appeared to be houses or barns could be seen scattered around. Other scenes from the southeastern part of Sapporo showed crumbled roads and mud flowing onto a main street. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said officials have set up a command center to coordinate rescue efforts.

There were dozens of landslides and significant damage in the Sapporo

The entire island lost power for the first time since Hokkaido Electric Power Co was created in 1951, as shortly after the tremor the utility conducted an emergency shutdown of all its fossil fuel-fired power plants. All trains acros the island were also halted. Scared residents took to Twitter to share testimonies of the terrrifying night. One Twitter user said: “Just woke up to a pretty damn big earthquake in Sapporo. "I've been through quite a few before and I'm shaking like a leaf right now. In fact, we're getting an aftershock right now…”

Japan earthquake: A powerful Magnitude 6.7 quake has struck near Sapporo

The quake knocked out power to Hokkaido's 5.3million residents

They are likely referring to the 5.4 magnitude aftershock which hit Hokkaido island shortly after the main earthquake. The tremor struck at an approximate depth of 25 miles, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The epicenter was just 16 miles from the city of Chitose, home to Hokkaido's main airport. A Twitter user named Licia said: “My friends. We just had a major #earthquake here in Japan. #Hokkaido. #Sapporo. "We are in the dark, but otherwise fine. Omg! It was humongous. No information on magnitude. Internet still works for now.”

Houses were hit by landslides following the 6.7-magnitude quake

USGS said the earthquake is not expected to generate a tsunami based on its intensity, depth and historic tsunami records. Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido prefecture with a population of nearly two million people. Kenji Yamamoto, an official in Noborito, told public broadcaster NHK there were no reports of injuries or death in that town. Japan sits in the "Ring of Fire" arc of volcanoes and oceanic trenches that partly encircles the Pacific Basin. The island nation accounts for around 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of Magnitude 6 or greater.

At least two people were killed and 38 were missing after the quake