Two dead in Japan quake: government

Two people were killed and eight injured in Saturday's powerful earthquake in northern Japan, chief government spokesman Nobutaka Machimura told reporters.

Two people were killed and eight injured in Saturday's powerful earthquake in northern Japan, chief government spokesman Nobutaka Machimura told reporters.

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One person who was fishing was killed by a landslide triggered by the earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale in Fukushima prefecture, Machimura said.

The other death occurred in Iwate prefecture, the quake's epicentre, he said. The victim "rushed out of the house when the quake hit but was run over by a truck," Machimura said.

"Eight people were injured, one (is) in a serious condition," he said.