Rescuers battle buckled roads, aftershocks after Japan quake kills 6

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Rescue teams using shovels and buckets tried to dig their way Sunday to seven people believed trapped in a landslide at a hot springs resort destroyed by a deadly earthquake that pounded the mountains of northern Japan, killing at least six and injuring nearly 200. The fire department squads worked as military helicopters buzzed overhead and frequent aftershocks posed the threat of the ground collapsing under their feet. The seven were believed buried when tons of dirt, rocks and mud came crashing down on the hot springs, which is located in a heavily forested mountainous area outside the small city of Kurihara, one of the hardest hit by Saturday's 7.2 quake. Search teams have already recovered the bodies of six dead, but believe up to 11 more may be missing. News reports put the number of injured at about 200. With several major landslides, at least one bridge collapse and roads buckled by the force of the quake, more than 200 people - many of them near the hot springs - remained stranded Sunday, and were being slowly flown out by helicopter.