Aftershocks rock quake-hit island

Strong aftershocks rocked Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, as residents set about sweeping up broken dishes and retrieving water from supply trucks a day after the major earthquake.

A 6.0-magnitude aftershock, which occurred at 5.38am local time today (9.38pm Irish time Friday) deep beneath the seabed off Hokkaido’s south-eastern coast, was among dozens that followed the magnitude-8.0 quake.