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8 Facts About The Osaka Earthquake That Happened This Morning

2018-06-18 , 2:40 pm

Japan is many things: an exciting tourist destination, the motherland of innovative technology and lots and lots of video games we’ve grown to love.

But it’s not all fun & games, as Japan also sits on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where a large percentage of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are noted. To drive my point home, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011 triggered a giant tsunami, that took the lives of some 18,000 people.

My condolences.

Anyway, if you’re wondering why I’m starting the article with this introduction…

Yeah, there was an earthquake again.

And this time, it’s Osaka that bore the full brunt of it.

1. What happened?

A magnitude-6.1 earthquake hit Osaka in western Japan early morning on Monday (June 18).

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake arrived at a magnitude of 5.3 and a depth of 15.4km at 7:58 a.m. (6:58 a.m., Singapore time) near Osaka.

The Japan Meteorological Agency, however, recorded the quake’s magnitude at 5.9, before subsequently upping it to 6.1. The epicentre of the earthquake was determined to be in the northern vicinity of the prefecture.

2. Casualties

An 80-year-old man and a 9-year-old girl were confirmed to have passed as a result of the quake, with collapsing walls having been the trigger, but they might not be alone. Several other people are also supposedly in “cardiopulmonary arrest”, which is a term for unconfirmed deaths unless formally examined.

Update: the death count has since risen to three, and more than 200 are injured as a result of the quake. The third fatality was a man who was pinned down by a bookcase in his own home.

3. Suspension of services

Following the incident, train operations were suspended, despite it being morning commuter hours.

After a few pictures, it soon became evident why.

And suffice it to say that it soon got really… cluttered up.

A large number of passengers were also left stranded in the midst.

4. Blackouts

Blackouts also occurred, and although the initial figure was in the thousands, it soon spiraled to more than 170,000, with households in Osaka and neighbouring Hyogo prefecture left stranded without power following the quake.

School children had to take shelter at courtyards…

While several factories have also had to halt production, with JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Corp in particular having to shut all refining units at its 115,000 barrels-per-day Osaka refinery.

5. Experiencing it first-hand

For first-time visitors like Kate Kilpatrick, it was nothing short of a nightmare.

“We were sleeping and it woke us up abruptly,” said the 19-year-old, who was residing in a hotel in Osaka at the time.

“It was so terrifying because this is my first earthquake. I thought it was a nightmare because I was so confused. The whole world was aggressively shaking.”

Thereafter, alarms started sounding off and a loudspeaker warned guests to keep away from the windows.

And Twitter users weren’t shy to share their tremor-tic experiences.

“I’m in northern Osaka and pretty strong shake here,” one commented.

“My apartment is kind of thrashed, but structurally intact. Power is on. All my refrigerator contents are on the floor,” another said.

“The floor moved violently. It was a strong vertical jolt. Nearly all of the dishes fell and shattered on the floor,” said Kaori Iwakiri, a 50-year-old nurse in Moriguchi.

“My parents suffered a blackout and they have no water. I plan to take water to them now.”

6. But the quake wasn’t the end

Contrary to what one would expect, the quake wasn’t the end of the torment. Numerous small aftershocks soon followed, and an official from Japan’s meteorological agency advised residents to keep their guards up.

“There are fears that the risk of house collapses and landslides has increased in the areas shaken strongly,” said Toshiyuki Matsumori, in charge of monitoring quakes at the agency.

“Please make sure that you are fully on alert about seismic activities and information on rainfall, and stay clear of dangerous places.”

Which might just include your own home, by the looks of it.

7. Government intervention

According to Prime Mister Shinzo Abe, the government has commenced with damage control, and its top priority was the safety of residents.

Incidentally, the Osaka quake comes after two tremors over the weekend, a magnitude 4.6 quake in Gunma prefecture on Sunday (17 June) and a magnitude 4.5 tremor in Chiba on Saturday (16 June).

8. And it’s not stopping yet

With more aftershocks set to follow, the ordeal’s not over at Osaka.

Government spokesman Suga also cautioned “there is a possibility that strong aftershocks will happen”.

“Large-scale quakes are likely to happen in the next two to three days,” he told reporters.

As such, if you’re flying to Osaka anytime soon (even today, like my friend is), please, please, watch your surroundings, keep track of the news and most importantly, stay safe.

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