Japan Earthquake: Rescue and restoration works continue after record-breaking tremor

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02:25

The New Chitose Airport, the main gateway to Japan's Hokkaido prefecture, has resumed international flights. The airport was closed throughout Thursday due to damage from the quake. The airport restarted services for domestic flights on Friday.

Search and rescue efforts continue after a record-breaking quake struck Japan's northernmost prefecture Hokkaido on Thursday. Many passengers are stranded across the region, with most international flights yet to resume at the damaged airport. And it will take another few days to get power supplies restored to local residents due to massive blackouts. CGTN's Zhang Dan has the story.

It happens all of a sudden. The quake hit Sapporo at midnight, paralysing the whole city within minutes. It was quickly followed by landslides.

RESIDENT ATSUMA, HOKKAIDO "I could hear the rumblings when the landslide happened. I thought I would be dead, buried in the sand."

RESIDENT ATSUMA, HOKKAIDO "The hill just went straight down there. I had no idea what was happening because it was night-time. When the dawn came, I was totally in shock and couldn't believe what had happened."

The quake caused massive power blackouts and failures in the water supply system. It also left tourists stranded across the region.

TOURIST FROM TAIWAN, CHINA NEW CHITOSE AIRPORT, SAPPORO "We're still not certain about our tickets. We booked a flight for tomorrow. It hasn't been canceled so far, and we checked in today. But after all that, international flights are still not operating. Hotels are all closed today. So we got here in advance."

The New Chitose Airport, the largest in Hokkaido, was temporarily closed after the quake. The airport sustained some damage, including glass shattering on the ground and cracks opening in the floor.

SECURITY GUARD NEW CHITOSE AIRPORT, SAPPORO "See that? That might fall off. I need to tell them it's dangerous here. Passengers are free to sit here, but I have an obligation to warn them."

The powerful earthquake was the strongest recorded in Hokkaido. It has left 20 dead and hundreds more injured in the northern prefecture. About three million homes suffered a power outage, and the electricity company is running against the clock to restore supplies. Over 6-thousand people spend their nights at evacuation centers, waiting for normal life to resume. Zhang Dan, CGTN.