Japan's northern island of Hokkaido has been hit by a powerful 6.7 magnitude  earthquake, triggering landslides killing at least eight people and about 40 missing.

The tremor struck 62km (39 miles) south-east of the regional capital Sapporo in the early hours of the morning.

Power supply in around three million homes were cut and a thermal power plant was damaged.

Few days back Japan was hit by the strongest typhoon in 25 years 'Jebi' that killed atleast 10 people and caused widespread damage. The earthquake comes on the heels of a deadly typhoon lashing the west of Japan over the past few days.However there are no tsunami threats, said the country's meteorological agency.

Airports and many roads on the island were closed and trains were idled by the power outages. NHK showed workers rushing to clean up shattered glass and reinstall ceiling panels that had tumbled down in the region's biggest airport at Chitose.

25,000 troops and other personnel were dispatched to Hokkaido to help with rescue operations.

(Featured image:BBC)