At least 3 killed, 200 injured as strong quake hits Japan

18 June 2018 11:28 am

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 today. 

The quake, which hit just before 8.00am, 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.

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.

The epicentre of the earthquake was in the northern part of the prefecture at at a depth of 13km, the agency said. No tsunami warning was issued.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters the government was "working united, with its first priority on saving people's lives"(Channel NewsAsia)

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry of Sri Lanka said they would keep an eye as to see whether any Sri Lankan was affected following the earthquake.