Japan quake: Strong tremor shakes Osaka

A strong earthquake hit the Japanese city of Osaka during morning rush hour Monday (18 June), killing at least five people and injuring 214, Japan's government says.

The 5.3 magnitude quake shook Osaka, on Japan's main Honshu Island, around 8 a.m. Monday local time (7 p.m. Sunday ET) according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The Japan Meteorology Agency put the magnitude at 5.9. It rated the quake at "6 Lower" on its JMA Seismic Intensity scale, meaning the shaking would have been severe enough to make it difficult to remain standing.
The Osaka Prefecture Office of Emergency Management updated the death toll to five early Tuesday(19 June).

At least 214 people were hurt, according to Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.
The injured were located across a number of prefectures in the south of Honshu island, local officials said.
Several roads suffered severe damage and water pipes burst, sending water flowing onto streets in Takatsuki city where the biggest shock was felt. A total of 334 buildings across four prefectures in western Japan -- the bulk of which were in Osaka -- were damaged in the quake.

Nearly 700 people were in evacuation centers, local broadcaster NHK said.
Several train services remained suspended across Osaka Prefecture on Monday afternoon, causing major travel delays, although bullet trains resumed service about six hours after the quake.