3 dead as strong quake in Japan knocks down walls
TOKYO : Residents in western Japan were cleaning up debris Monday after a powerful earthquake hit the area around Osaka, the country’s second-largest city of commerce, killing three people and injuring hundreds while knocking over walls and setting off fires.
The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck the area early Monday damaged buildings and left many homes without water or gas. The quake also grounded flights in and out of Osaka, and paralyzed traffic and commuter trains most of the day.
By the evening, bullet trains and some local trains had resumed operation, with stations swollen with commuters trying to get home, many of them waiting in long lines. An exodus of commuters who chose to walk home filled sidewalks and bridges.
Some commuters took refuge at nearby shelters instead of going home.
Video on Japan’s NHK public television showed dozens of men wearing ties and carrying briefcases sitting on gym mats at a junior high school gymnasium in Ibaraki city, where some families also gathered.
A 9-year-old girl was killed by a falling concrete wall at her school, and the two other fatalities were men in their 80s.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 307 people were treated for injuries at hospitals. Most of the injured were in Osaka. Osaka officials did not give details, but the injuries reported in Kyoto and three other neighbouring prefectures were all minor.