Japanese assess quake damage

TOKYO — Residents in western Japan were cleaning up debris Monday evening after a powerful earthquake hit the area around Osaka, killing four people and injuring hundreds while knocking over walls and setting off fires.

The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck 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 evening, bullet trains and some local trains had resumed operation. Stations were swollen with commuters trying to get home.

Jiji Press / Getty Images People pause to look at a house in Japan’s Ibaraki City, north of Osaka, that collapsed during a magnitude 6.1 earthquake.