Video, photos tell the story of horror in Hokkaido, as 6.7 magnitude quake triggers landslides and liquefaction

A powerful earthquake hit wide areas on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido this morning triggering huge landslides. See how the news unfolded here.

That brings our live coverage of the Japanese earthquake to an end. Keep up-to-date with breaking news about this story at 1 News Now . 

12.31pm:  The man who died after falling down the stairs at his home during the quake was 82, Japanese media reported.

12.30pm: About 800 landslides were triggered by the earthquake, according to government official Yoshihide Suga.

12.15pm:  Three reactors at the Tomari nuclear plant were offline, but they are running on backup generators after losing external power because of the island-wide blackout, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said.

Spent fuel in storage pools was safely cooled on backup power that can last for a week, the agency said.

12.03pm: Local media are reporting that a man suffered cardiac arrest while falling down stairs, according to Japan Today.

11.55am:  There have been reports of at least 48 people injured with 20 people missing, according to NHK.

11.50am: Incredible drone footage shows the magnitude of the Atsuma landslides....

11.48am:  In Atsuma, 10 people have been rescued by helicopter so far after landslides wiped out a number of homes. Rescuers still fear that people remain trapped inside their homes, NHK reported.

11.45am: This map shows the layout of Hokkaido and where the  landslide hit.

11.37am: We've got significant liquefaction in Sapporo, home to nearly two million people.

11.32am:  At least three people were injured when a "large" number of homes at the foot of a ridge were buried by landslides in Atsuma, officials told public broadcaster NHK. Pictures and video of tragedy are emerging online...

11.27am: More footage out of Hokkaido...

11.25am:  Around 40 meters of a road in the town of Abira is impassable because of mud about 2 metres high, NHK reported.

11.19am:  A "large" number of homes at the foot of a ridge were buried by landslides, public broadcaster NHK reported. Here is their live coverage.

11.18am: More video which shows the impact of this morning's quake...

11.05am:  Aerial video shows a landslide a landslide that has wiped out homes in Hokkaido.

11am: A powerful earthquake hit wide areas on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido this morning triggering landslides as well as causing the loss of power at nearly all of 3 million households and a nuclear power plant to go on a backup generator.

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck southern Hokkaido soon after 6am NZT, at a depth of 40 kilometres, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.

The quake's epicenter was east of the city of Tomakomai.

It also struck Hokkaido's prefectural capital of Sapporo, with a population of 1.9 million.

The US Geological Survey put the magnitude at 6.6.

No tsunami warning was issued.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said a man was found without vital signs in Tomakomai, and several people were reported missing in the nearby town of Atsuma.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that the authorities have received hundreds of calls about people missing and buildings collapsing.

Officials are doing their utmost for the search and rescue while they assess the extent of damage, he said. The central government set up a crisis management taskforce at the prime minister's Office, Suga said.

Three reactors at the Tomari nuclear plant were offline, but they are running on backup generators after losing external power because of the island-wide blackouts that also caused power loss at all 2.9 million households and disrupted traffic, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said.

The earthquake also affected telephone service and television broadcasting in Sapporo.