Dozens injured as earthquake destroys homes near Nagano, Japan

Helicopter surveys yesterday showed more extensive damage than previously thought from an earthquake in the mountainous area of central Japan that hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics.

At least 50 homes were destroyed in two villages, with 41 people hurt.

The magnitude-6.7 earthquake struck shortly after 10pm on Saturday west of Nagano city at a depth of 10km, the Japan Meteorological Agency said - revising the magnitude from a preliminary 6.8.

Ryo Nishino, a restaurant owner in Hakuba, a ski resort village west of Nagano, said he had "never experienced a quake that shook so hard". "The sideways shaking was enormous," he added.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were reported at three nuclear power plants in the affected areas. All of Japan's nuclear plants remain offline following a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and massive tsunami in 2011 that sent three reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant into meltdown.

Fukushima is about 250km northeast of where Saturday's earthquake occurred.