A major earthquake that rocked Niigata prefecture and surrounding areas in Japan on Monday. In Kashiwazaki, the quake has widely disrupted supply of drinking water, electricity and gas.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    KASHIWAZAKI, Japan, July 17 (Xinhua) -- A major earthquake that rocked Niigata prefecture and surrounding areas in Japan on Monday has left over 12,000 people in shelters by Tuesday, with nine killed and over 1,000 injured.

    The death toll of the 6.8-magnitude quake rose to nine on Tuesday morning while the number of the injured exceeded 1,000, local authorities said. A man is still missing in Niigata.

    All the nine victims, in their 70s or 80s, were from the most heavily hit city of Kashiwazaki in Niigata. Most of the injured people also lived in Niigata.

    In Kashiwazaki, the quake has widely disrupted supply of drinking water, electricity and gas, local relief officials told Xinhua. They said that some 20,000 to 40,000 homes are still facing problems of either water, or electricity, or gas supplies.

    It is likely to take quite a long time to restore those basic services as large-scale work is needed, a local official said. About 70 schools, including those in Kashiwazaki, were closed Tuesday due to the quake and some sections of highways remained closed.

    There is a 50 percent probability of an aftershock with a magnitude of 5 or higher in the next three days and a 30 percent chance of a 5.5-magnitude aftershock, the Japan Meteorological Agency warned Tuesday.

    The major quake occurred at 10:13 a.m. (0113 GMT) Monday, with its epicenter some 60 kilometers southwest of the city of Niigata, around 17 km below seabed in waters off Niigata prefecture. Within24 hours after the main quake, there have been 10 tremors measuring over 4 on the Richter scale, the agency said.

    At the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata, a total of 50 cases of water leakage, fire and other problems have been confirmed by Tuesday evening.

    The incidents included a fire, leakage of water containing radioactive material, detection of a small quantity of radiation from a ventilation filter and toppling of drums containing low-level radioactive waste, the operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.

    There has been no report that any harm has been done to humans or the environment due to those incidents. The Japanese Industry Ministry ordered Tokyo Electric Power Co. to keep the nuke plant closed until its safety is confirmed.

    Since the epicenter of the quake was below the seabed, experts said operations at the plant will be suspended for some time as the operator will need to assess how the fault line affects the facility's quake-resistance.

    At least 340 houses collapsed at the quake and several hundreds were damaged in Niigata and Nagano prefectures. Rescue workers with search dogs are still searching for survivors.

    In October 2004, a major earthquake hit Niigata prefecture, killing 67 people and injuring over 4,800.