Nuke reactor 'leaked' after quake

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- A Japanese nuclear power plant shut down following a major earthquake on Monday leaked water containing radioactive materials from a reactor, according to the company running the facility.

The 6.8-magnitude quake triggered an automatic shutdown at the plant in the city of Kashiwazaki, in Niigata prefecture, when a small fire broke out in an electrical transmission facility, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. reported.

Black smoke was seen rising over the plant, which is one of the largest producers of nuclear power in the world.

At least seven people were reported killed and hundreds more injured after the earthquake struck off the northwest coast of Japan on Monday morning.

Four women and three men -- all elderly -- were among the known victims while around 800 people were hurt, Japanese national police and national broadcaster NHK reported.

Around 300 hundred homes were also destroyed in Kashiwazaki -- which appeared to have borne the brunt of the damage -- with 2,000 people evacuated, The Associated Press reported quoting local officials.

The earthquake struck at 10:13 a.m. (0113 GMT) and was centered 17 kilometers below sea level, the Japanese Meteorological Agency reported.

Minor shaking was reported in Tokyo, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of its epicenter.

The Japanese Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for Sado Island and the coast of Niigata prefecture, where waves were expected to rise about 50 centimeters (20 inches). The warning was lifted about an hour later.

An aftershock of 5.6 magnitude was measured five hours later, centered about 10 kilometers below sea level, the agency said.

Niigata was hit by a trio of earthquakes in 2004 that killed 25 people and injured more than 1,200.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was campaigning in Nagasaki ahead of forthcoming parliamentary elections when the earthquake struck, but flew back to Tokyo and then on to Kashiwazaki to lead a government task force assessing the damage, the Japanese government reported.

"Many people told me they want to return to their normal lives as quickly as possible," Abe told reporters in Kashiwazaki, AP reported. "The government will make every effort to help with recovery." E-mail to a friend

CNN's Junko Ogura in Tokyo contributed to this report.

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