Water flows out from cracks in a road damaged by an earthquake in Takatsuki, Osaka prefecture, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2018. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

Home » 2 Men and Schoolgirl (9) Die in Strong 6.1 Magnitude Earthquake in Japan

2 Men and Schoolgirl (9) Die in Strong 6.1 Magnitude Earthquake in Japan

A strong earthquake hit Osaka, on the western side of Japan, on Monday morning leaving three people dead and 150 injuried. The fatalities included two men in their 80s (of whom one was killed by a falling bookcase) and a nine-year-old girl who was knocked down by a brick wall at her primary school. The […]

18-06-18 21:28
Water flows out from cracks in a road damaged by an earthquake in Takatsuki, Osaka prefecture, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2018. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

A strong earthquake hit Osaka, on the western side of Japan, on Monday morning leaving three people dead and 150 injuried. The fatalities included two men in their 80s (of whom one was killed by a falling bookcase) and a nine-year-old girl who was knocked down by a brick wall at her primary school.

A police officer stands guard at the site where a girl was killed by fallen wall caused by an earthquake at an elementary school in Takatsuki, Osaka prefecture, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2018. Credit Kyodo/via REUTERS.
Passengers are seen at Nijyo station in Kyoto, western Japan after train services were suspended because of an earthquake, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2018. Credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

The magnitude 6.1 eathquake struck at around 07h58 as commuters were heading to work, damaging buildings, walls and roofs; and causing flights to be cancelled in and out of Osaka.

There were fortunately no tsunami threat, but strong shaking was felt throughout Osaka.

People wait for the resume of operation of train service nearby Yodoyabashi station in Osaka, Osaka prefecture, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2018. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS
Passengers get off a train which operation was suspended after an earthquake in Takatsuki, Osaka prefecture, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2018. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

Officials in Japan’s second-largest city  – which will host next year’s Group of 20 summit -said water mains had burst, walls collapsed and fire broke out.

Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe said: “We are working with local authorities to gather information on damage. I have ordered the mobilisation of rescue services.”

He said the safety of residents was the top priority.

Children evacuate to a temporary tent set up in the garden of their house in Ibaraki, after an earthquake shook Osaka, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2018. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS
People walk on a bridge over Yodo River after public transportation services were suspended for damage checks after an earthquake in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Osaka prefecture, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2018. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS
Damaged Myotoku-ji temple caused by an earthquake is seen in Ibaraki, Osaka prefecture, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2018. Credit Kyodo/via REUTERS 

Quakes are common in Japan, part of the seismically active “Ring of Fire” that stretches from the South Pacific through Indonesia and Japan, across to Alaska and down the west coast of North, Central and South America.

The epicenter of Monday’s earthquake was just north of Osaka city at a depth of 13 km, said the Japan Meteorological Agency. The agency originally put the magnitude at 5.9 but later raised it to 6.1.

The quake struck an important industrial area of central Japan.

Work was temporarily suspended at Osaka-based Panasonic, Toyota’s Daihatsu Motor Co, tractor maker Kubota Corp, Honda Motor Co, Misubishi Motor and air conditioner maker Daikin Industries Ltd while safety checks were carried out before resuming operations.

A water-filled crack on a road after water pipes were broken due to an earthquake is seen in Takatsuki, Osaka prefecture, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2018. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. JAPAN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN JAPAN.
Water flows out from cracks in a road damaged by an earthquake in Takatsuki, Osaka prefecture, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2018. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS
Bottled drinks are scattered on the floor of a shop after an earthquake hit Osaka, Japan June 18, 2018, in this still image taken from a video obtained from social media. MANDATORY CREDIT. Twitter/@tw_hds/via REUTERS
People cycle on a flooded road damaged after an earthquake hit Osaka, Japan June 18, 2018, in this still image taken from a video obtained from social media. MANDATORY CREDIT. Twitter/@tw_hds/via REUTERS
People stand at a flooded road damaged after an earthquake hit Osaka, Japan June 18, 2018, in this still image taken from a video obtained from social media. MANDATORY CREDIT. Twitter/@tw_hds/via REUTERS

‘TERRIFIED, CONFUSED’

“We were sleeping and it woke us up abruptly,” said Kate Kilpatrick, 19, an American who was staying in a hotel in Osaka when the quake hit.

“It was so terrifying because this is my first earthquake. I thought it was a nightmare because I was so confused,” she said. “The whole world was aggressively shaking.”

Kilpatrick, visiting Japan for the first time, said alarms went off almost immediately in the hotel and a loudspeaker told guests to stay away from windows.

No irregularities were detected at the Mihama, Takahama and Ohi nuclear plants to the north of Osaka, Kansai Electric Power said. More than 170,000 households in Osaka and neighboring Hyogo prefecture lost power temporarily but it was restored within two hours, the utility said.

Most trains in the Osaka area were still not running by late afternoon, police said.

Osaka prefecture, which includes the city and surrounding areas, has a population of 8.8 million. The city is close to Kobe, which was hit by a deadly magnitude 6.9 quake in 1995.

Passengers get off a train which its operation is suspended in Osaka, Osaka prefecture, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2018. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS
Smoke arise from a house where a fire breaks out, in Takatsuki, Osaka prefecture, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2018. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS
Students sit on a playground after they were evacuated from school building after an earthquake at Ikeda elementary school in Ikeda, Osaka prefecture, western Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo June 18, 2018. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

A massive 9.0 quake hit much further to the north in March 2011, triggering a huge tsunami that killed some 18,000 people and triggered the world’s worst nuclear disaster in a quarter of a century at Tokyo Electric Power’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Japan introduced a law after the Kobe quake requiring owners of large buildings such as hotels and hospitals to have their buildings inspected for earthquake resistance.

(Reporting by Kaori Kaneko, Mari Saito, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Osamu Tsukimori, Makiko Yamazaki, Naomi Tajitsu and Linda Sieg; Writing by Malcolm Foster; Editing by Paul Tait and Darren Schuettler)