November 22, 2014 Earthquake: Hakuba, Otari, Nagano, Japan

At least 45 people injured in Nagano and 50 buldings destroyed at Hakubacho. At least two landslides occured, one on National Route 406. Felt (IX) at Omachi and (VII) at Nagano. Felt widely from Tohoku in northeastern Japan to central Japan. Recorded (6L JMA) in Nagano. (reference #13456)

Police officers and firefighters rescued almost two dozen people, including a 2-year-old toddler, from beneath their collapsed houses on Sunday, a day after a powerful earthquake shook mountainous central Japan. At least 40 people were injured, but no deaths were reported. Hundreds of people were forced to find shelter in school gyms and other evacuation centers after the magnitude-6.7 quake struck near the city of Nagano on Saturday night, the police said. They said at least 34 homes had collapsed near Hakuba, a ski resort town, where some of the worst damage was concentrated. Many more buildings were damaged, and the police warned of landslides caused by aftershocks. On Saturday, the earthquake caused landslides that cut off roads and isolated residents, according to Japan's Kyodo News Agency. Rescuers in and near Hakuba found 21 people trapped in their collapsed homes, including the infant, who was uninjured, the police said. Television footage showed police officers going door to door to make sure everyone was accounted for. In areas where there was less damage, the most serious injuries appeared to be blows to the head or broken bones caused by falling furniture and "butsudan," household Buddhist shrines that are mounted on walls, the police said. Strong shocks were felt at the nearby Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, which suffered light damage seven years ago from a strong earthquake. This time, no damage was found, though alarms sounded at the pools holding spent fuel rods, said the plant's operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company. The plant's seven nuclear reactors were not online because all of Japan's nuclear reactors have been shut down since the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which is several hundred miles northeast of the epicenter of Saturday's earthquake. On Saturday, the earthquake caused blackouts affecting about 1,600 homes, and forced the suspension of high-speed train service in northern Japan. Most train service has been restored. (reference #11137)

A daylight assessment Sunday found at least 50 homes destroyed in two villages, and 41 people injured across the region, including seven seriously, mostly with broken bones, officials said... The hardest-hit area appeared to be Hakuba, which hosted events in the 1998 winter games. At least 43 homes were destroyed there, and 17 people injured, national and local disaster agencies said. Another seven homes were lost in Otari, a nearby village to the north. Non-residential buildings were also destroyed, with officials assessing the extent. Japanese television footage showed buildings in various states of collapse, some flattened and others leaning to one side, and deep cracks in the roads. A landslide spilled onto a railroad track, forcing service to stop. About 200 people from Hakuba and Otari had evacuated to shelters. (reference #11145)

46 injured; housing: 77 completely destroyed, 136 partially destroyed, 1624, partially damaged. (reference #13502)

41 injured, 2 million USD total damages (reference #1250)