Shocked Japanese sent scrambling

A man rides his bike pass collapsed houses following the earthquake in Ojiya, Niigata prefecture, 300km north of Tokyo yesterday. A series of powerful earthquakes in central Japan, including an initial tremor measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, left 21 people dead or missing and injured 1,000 others. PHOTO: AFP

Homeless residents huddled in blankets and started small fires in front of public shelters, shocked from the night before when quakes left at least 21 dead and injured nearly 900 more.

While Japan is accustomed to earthquakes, the epicenters are often in the ocean and inflict limited damage. But starting just before 6:00 pm (0900 GMT) Saturday in Niigata Prefecture, plates and televisions came crashing down after an initial tremor of 6.8 on the Richter scale and hundreds of aftershocks.

"I jumped under my dining table but everything from the walls fell down and bowls and dishes were all around my feet," said one woman in her fifties in the town of Ojiya, 200km northwest of Tokyo.

"I ran outside and when I looked at buildings they were shaking like pudding," a man in his 20s in nearby Mitsuke told the Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK).

The quakes followed the worst typhoon season on record, including the deadly Typhoon Tokage, which struck Wednesday. It killed 79 people and left 12 missing.

"Everything in my house, including the television and lights, fell and was smashed," one man in his thirties told NHK. "I'm just happy I have my life."

As two powerful aftershocks hit Sunday, the Defence Agency sent 230 personnel in vehicles and helicopters to rescue stranded and injured residents and provide clean water. Some 58,700 people were evacuated from their homes.