Several feared dead as 6.1 quake hits western Japan

TOKYO (AFP/AP/Xinhua) – A nine-year-old girl and two men in their 80s have been killed by a strong earthquake in the western Japan metropolis of Osaka.

Japanese disaster authorities say more than 90 people were injured in the strong earthquake in Osaka on Monday morning.

Japan's disaster management minister Hachiro Okonogi said there are people buried under the rubble of a collapsed building and local rescue officials are trying to locate them.

The magnitude 6.1-earthquake struck the city of Osaka and the surrounding area about 8 a.m. (2300 GMT Sunday). The Japan Meteorological Agency has updated the magnitude of the quake to 6.1, stronger than the initial 5.9 magnitude.

The quake logged lower 6 in some parts of Osaka prefecture and upper 5 in neighboring Kyoto prefecture on the Japanese seismic intensity scale which peaks at 7, according to the JMA.

The jolt was also felt in the nearby prefectures of Hyogo, Kyoto, Shiga, and Nara.

The strong earthquake shook the city of Osaka in western Japan on Monday morning, causing scattered damage including broken glass and partial building collapses. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The quake struck around 8 a.m. about 10 kilometers (6 miles) underground, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The strongest shaking was in an area north of Osaka city, the agency said.

The quake set off building fires, toppled concrete walls and cracked roads and water pipes. Dozens of flights in and out of Osaka were grounded and train service was suspended across a wide area.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press briefing that so far, there have been no reports of serious infrastructural damage as a result of the quake. Television images showed goods scattered on the floor of shops and building debris in streets.

The morning commute was disrupted as train and subway service in the Osaka area including the bullet train were suspended to check for damage to equipment.

There was no risk of tsunami from the tremor, the Japanese meteorological agency said.

Japan's public broadcaster NHK said that senior government officials gathered for an emergency meeting at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office to assess the situation.

Abe told reporters the government was "working united, with its first priority on saving people's lives."

Abe said he had instructed his staff to "swiftly collect information on damage, make utmost efforts in rescuing and saving lives... (and) provide timely and appropriate information to the public."

Local police also told AFP that they had not received reports of substantial damage, and the Nuclear Regulation Authority said it had detected no abnormalities at its facilities after the quake.