Strong Japan quake leaves 39 injured, hits popular ski resort

TOKYO: A strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake in central Japan left 39 people injured, seven seriously, and wrecked homes in a popular ski resort, the government said Sunday.

The quake struck at 10:08 pm local time (1308 GMT) Saturday at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles) at the epicentre, in the north of Nagano Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, according to the US Geological Survey.
The government confirmed Sunday that the quake injured 39 people, destroying houses and snapping water pipes, with the worst damage in mountainous areas.

In Nagano Prefecture´s famous Hakuba Village -- a popular ski resort that hosted part of the 1998 Winter Olympic Games -- many homes were toppled and destroyed, local authorities said.

Bird´s-eye footage by public broadcaster NHK showed houses reduced to rubble.

Around 30 people were trapped in the collapsed village houses soon after the quake, but were all rescued, Jiji Press said.

The meteorological agency warned strong aftershocks could still occur in the coming week.