Rescue squads in northern Japan have resumed their search for people missing after Saturday's earthquake which struck with a force of 7.2.

Those missing include seven people feared buried by a mudslide at a hot spring hotel in mountains outside the town of Kurihara, Miyagi region.

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Six people are known to have been killed and more than 200 injured.

There have been more than 200 aftershocks.

Helicopters

The quake was centred on Iwate, a rural mountainous region on Japan's main island, Honshu.

Military helicopters have been taking in supplies and flying the injured to hospitals.

A small amount of radioactive water was leaked at a nuclear power station.

But officials said there was no danger to the public from the minor spillage at the facility in Fukushima.

Seismologists issued a warning of the earthquake moments before it struck around 0845 (2343 GMT) on Friday

Footage from NHK television showed surveillance cameras in the city of Sendai being shaken violently for about 30 seconds.

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries and experiences thousands of minor tremors each year.

An earthquake last year caused a small radioactive leak from the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant.

(BBC)

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