More Than 6,000 Homes Damaged in Japan by Earthquake

Osaka, June 24 (Jiji Press)--Authorities have confirmed that more than 6,000 homes were damaged by the 6.1-magnitude earthquake that rocked Osaka Prefecture and its vicinity in western Japan last Monday. Almost a week after the quake, full-scale home repair work has not been carried out yet and residents were nervous about rain. According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency and Osaka Prefecture, the quake, which measured up to lower 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, left five dead in Osaka and about 400 people injured in seven prefectures. A total of 6,235 homes were damaged in Osaka and 531 elsewhere including Kyoto Prefecture. Local governments have started accepting applications for building danger status assessments and for victim certificates, but work has not made smooth progress. More than 500 residents are still staying at evacuation shelters, mainly in the Osaka cities of Takatsuki and Ibaraki. Gas supply stopped for over 110,000 households at the peak, but has restarted for some 90 of them and is expected to be fully restored as early as Monday. Osaka Monorail Co. resumed train services on all lines on Saturday but was forced to stop them again the following day due to flaws in rail cars apparently caused by the quake. Other critical infrastructure services have been recovered. In the disaster, an elementary school girl, 9, died in Takatsuki after being trapped under a collapsed concrete wall at her school, which was later found to be in violation of building standards. Damage or tilting has been found for concrete walls at more than 120 public schools in Osaka Prefecture. After the fatal accident, emergency checks on concrete walls and the removal of hazardous structures are under way across Japan. END