YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. A large-scale rescue operation is underway on the Japanese island of Hokkaido after a 6.7 earthquake triggered several landslides that swallowed a number of houses, injuring and trapping people inside, RT reports.

The rural town of Atsumi has been devastated after a chunk of a mountain ridge slid and covered several houses, aerial footage by NHK broadcaster showed. At least 10 people were airlifted to the hospital while others remain missing, potentially trapped in collapsed structures.

Currently two people have been confirmed dead, including a man in his 80s who died from cardiac arrest, NHK reports. Another 143 people have been injured, while 38 remain missing after a 6.7 earthquake hit Hokkaido, causing widespread damage. Most of the injuries (87 people) came from Sapporo, a major metropolitan area of 1.9 million people.

Addressing the nation, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that a crisis management center has been set up and first responders are doing everything to save lives.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan