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Japan: Magnitude 6.1 Quake Hits Osaka, Kills 3, Stops Factories

Japan: Magnitude 6.1 Quake Hits Osaka, Kills 3, Stops Factories
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A magnitude 6.1 earthquake shook Japan's second-biggest metropolis of Osaka early on Monday, claiming the lives of at least three people, halting factory lines in a key industrial area and bursting water mains.

Japan: Magnitude 6.1 Quake Hits Osaka, Kills 3, Stops Factories

While no tsunami warning was issued, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said authorities were assessing damage and that their top priority was the safety of residents.

At least 234 people were injured, public broadcaster NHK said.

Live footage showed burst water mains and a house on fire after the quake hit Osaka, which will host next year's Group of 20 summit, just before 8 am as commuters were heading to work.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, part of the seismically active "Ring of Fire" that sweeps from the South Pacific islands through Indonesia and Japan, a
cross to Alaska and down the west coast of North, Central and South America.

The epicenter of Monday's earthquake was just north of Osaka city at a depth of 13 km, said the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The agency originally put the magnitude at 5.9 but later raised it to 6.1.

The quake struck an important industrial area of central Japan.

Osaka-based Panasonic said it was halting production at three of its plants. Daihatsu Motor Co, a unit of Toyota Motor Corp, stopped its factories in Osaka and Kyoto while it checked for damage.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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