2 killed in magnitude 7.0 quake

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked a rural area of northern Japan today, killing at least two people, triggering landslides and reportedly knocking down a bridge. News reports said dozens of people were injured.

Two nuclear power plants were undergoing inspections but there were no immediate reports of damage, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura.

One of those killed was man who ran out of a building and was hit by a passing truck, and the other confirmed death was a man who was buried by a landslide, Machimura said. The quake was centered about 280 miles north of Tokyo.