Japan quake toll touches 16

Tokyo:Japanese rescuers scrabbled through rubble on Friday to save survivors beneath the landslides triggered by a strong temblor, as the death toll mounted to 16. The 6.7 magnitude quake hit Japan's northern island of Hokkaido on Thursday, causing landslides that engulfed houses.

Around 26 people are still listed missing, a report  in Japanese online newspaper Japan Today said. During a cabinet meeting to discuss the quake, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, "So far there are 16 (dead) people and many people injured, with 26 still missing." 

Mr Abe advised people to continue exercising caution, citing forecasts for rains that could trigger more landslides.

He claimed that nearly half of the nearly 3 million households on the island had their power restored after a day of blackouts.The regional government said the bullet train to the provincial capital, Sapporo, was due to reopen later in the day. 

The main airport in Sapporo has started to process passengers after cancelling all flights the day before.(UNI)