Japan earthquake claims 44 lives, injures 660; Toyota suspends operations

Power supply has been restored to nearly all customers in Hokkaido

The death toll from a powerful earthquake in northern Japan last week rose to 44, with 660 injured, the government said on Monday, as electricity supply remained short and top automaker Toyota suspended work at most of its assembly plants.

The pre-dawn, 6.7-magnitude quake on Thursday temporarily paralyzed the island of Hokkaido, cutting off access by air and train and knocking out power to an island the size of Austria.

About 2,500 people remain in evacuation centers, according to Fire and Disaster Management Agency, after landslides buried houses and rain at the weekend loosened soil in a further threat to