At least three people were killed and more than 200 injured after a strong quake rocked Osaka in western Japan during the morning rush hour on Monday (Jun 18).
The quake, which hit just before 8 am local time killed three people, including a nine-year-old girl. It also halted factory lines and burst water mains, government officials and public broadcaster NHK said.
Local police said the child died in the city of Takatsuki, north of Osaka city, with media reporting she was trapped when a wall collapsed on her at school.
NHK said an 80-year-old man had also been killed by a collapsing wall, and that the third fatality was a man trapped under a bookcase in his home.
More than 200 people were also injured in the 5.3-magnitude quake, which according to the United States Geological Survey, struck at a depth of 15.4km. The Japanese meteorological agency originally put the quake’s magnitude at 5.9 but later raised it to 6.1.
Japan sits on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire” where a large proportion of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are recorded.
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