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Three people died in a massive earthquake in the Japanese prefecture of Osaka. More than 150 people were injured and 37 seriously wounded.
According to NHK World-Japan, a 9-year-old girl was crushed when a wall collapsed near a school swimming pool in the city of Takatsuki. Two elderly people also died because of the collapse. Many more are missing.
The earthquake, ranked at 5.9 on the Richter scale. was one of the most powerful in decades. Public transportation, including trains and airplanes, has almost completely halted in the southwest of the country although the Shinkansen bullet-train service between Shin-Osaka and Nagoya has resumed. All other routes in Osaka, with its population of 2.6 million people, are temporarily closed.
According to Japan’s Meteorological Agency, the earthquake was registered around 8 a.m. in the prefecture of Osaka. The government reported that in neighboring Fukui Prefecture, they’ve checked all 15 nuclear reactors, both online and offline, and found no problems.
The earthquake was felt in Osaka, Kyoto, Hijo, Mie, and Nara prefectures.
