The Japanese city of Joso is taking stock of the damage left behind by floodwaters after a rain-swollen river burst its banks.

Soldiers fought their way through a torrent of mud and rocks at a hot spring today where several people were believed to be buried after an earthquake hit northern Japan, killing at least seven and injuring more than 200.

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked a rural, mountainous area of northern Japan today, killing at least three people, triggering landslides, stopping train service and knocking down a bridge.