Japan earthquake: At least three dead as 6.1-magnitude tremor hits Osaka

Victims include 9-year-old girl knocked down by concrete wall at her school

A 9-year-old girl is among three people killed and hundreds more have been injured after a powerful earthquake struck Osaka during the Monday morning commute, knocking over walls and setting off scattered fires.

The magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck shortly after 8am north of Osaka at a depth of about 13km (8 miles), the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The strongest shaking was north of Osaka, but the quake rattled large parts of western Japan, including Kyoto, the agency said.

And it warned residents another big shake might occur in the coming days.

Residents pass by a temple gate collapsed by an earthquake in Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture, western Japan. The earthquake, which struck western Japan, killed three people injured more than 50. (EPA)

One victim on Monday was a 9-year-old girl who was knocked down by a concrete wall at her primary school as she walked by. A man in his 80s died in the collapse of a concrete wall in Osaka city. An 84-year-old man in nearby Ibaraki died after a bookshelf fell on top of him at home, according to city officials.

A crack is filled with water on a road after water pipes were broken following an earthquake in Takatsuki city, Osaka, western Japan, Monday, June 18, 2018. A strong earthquake knocked over walls and set off scattered fires around metropolitan Osaka on Monday morning. (Keiji Uesho/Kyodo News via AP) (AP)

The quake left more than 170,000 homes without power, while reducing walls to rubble and causing scattered fires across the city. Roads and water pipes were ripped up, while dozens of domestic flights were grounded, and train and subway services suspended through much of the day. Passengers were seen exiting trains on the tracks between stations. More than 1,000 schools were also shut through the day, as defence troops joined the rescue and relief operations.

One resident Gloria Randriamihaja told the BBC: "It only lasted a minute but it seemed so long. My apartment was messed up, broken glasses on the floor, fridge open.

"The whole building was shaking, I was so scared, telling myself 'Gloria this is it, your time is up'."

Tremors were felt in the nearby prefectures of Kyoto, Nara, Hyogo, and Shiga.

AP