3 dead, more than 10 injured as 6.1-m quake rocks Japan's Osaka

TOKYO. KAZINFORM - Three people have been confirmed dead including a 9-year-old girl and more than 10 others have been injured as a result of a powerful earthquake striking Osaka prefecture in western Japan on Monday morning, local rescue officials said, Xinhua reports. 

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.

According to local media reports, there have been outbreaks of fires and burst pipes as a result of the quake and a number of people are believed to be trapped inside elevators, local rescue officials said.

While no tsunami warning or advisory was given as a result of the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the magnitude 6.1 earthquake was upwardly revised from a preliminary 5.9 temblor, which struck Osaka at 7:58 a.m. local time.

According to Kansai Electric Power Co., more than 170,000 homes in Osaka and neighboring Hyogo prefectures suffered power outages as a result of the quake and Osaka Gas Co. said it has suspended gas supply to around 108,000 households in Osaka as a precautionary measure against fires.

According to the Transport Ministry, both Shinkansen bullet train and local train services in the region were suspended and along with commuter services being seriously disrupted, the three airports in the region, officials said, were forced to temporarily suspend their services.

Japanese Self-Defense Force (SDF) fighter jets and helicopters have been deployed to the area to investigate the scene, government officials said.

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