Death toll rises to 44 in Japan quake

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A total of 44 people have been confirmed dead, and no more missing residents after a powerful earthquake rocked Hokkaido Prefecture in northern Japan on Thursday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Monday.

A team of about 40,000 Self-Defense Force troops, police, firefighters and others were working on clearing debris and other clean-up operations, he added.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said that about 2,500 people remain in evacuation centers after landslides buried houses and rain loosened the soil.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe talks to survivors in a shelter of the devastated city of Atsuma, September 9, 2018. / VCG Photo

According to public broadcaster NHK, as of 5:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, electricity, water supply and traffic conditions in Hokkaido are gradually resuming and are expected to fully restored by the day.

However, as of 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, around 160 aftershocks were detected in the prefecture, triggering landslides in multiple areas and local authorities have dispatched helicopters and excavator to continue to search for survivors in the debris.

People queue to access the railway station at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, Japan, September 7, 2018. /VCG Photo

Japan's New Chitose Airport resumed international flights on Saturday morning after tourists stranded on the island after the M6.7 quake hit. / VCG Photo

New Chitose Airport, which had stopped operations after Thursday's earthquake resumed domestic flights on Friday and international flights Saturday morning.

About 90 international flights are scheduled to depart from and arrive at New Chitose Airport near Sapporo during the day, Japan's transport ministry said.

The earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7, struck Hokkaido prefecture at 3:08 a.m. local time Thursday (1808 GMT Wednesday).

It logged the maximum seven on Japan's seismic intensity scale, marking the first time that Hokkaido hit that number since the seismic scale was revised in 1996, according to Japan's weather agency.

(with inputs from Xinhua)

2145km