Strong earthquakes in Osaka, at least 3 people were killed

At least 3 people were confirmed dead after a 5.3-magnitude earthquake occurred near Osaka, Japan's second-largest city, in the morning rush hour.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the 5.3-magnitude earthquake occurred at 7:58 am on June 18 in the northern province of Osaka with an epicenter at a depth of 15.4km.

The Japan National Meteorological Agency says the earthquake is 6.1 degrees strong (initially speaking 5.9 degrees) and the center is 10 km deep.

According to Japan's 7-level Shindo scale, the earthquake is ranked at a 6- (six minus) level. At this level, standing on the ground is also quite difficult.

A train station in Osaka after the morning earthquake on June 18.(Photo: AFP).

There has been no damage information or warning of tsunamis after the shaking at rush hour, causing boatmen to get stuck and tens of thousands of households out of power. Authorities said at least three people were killed, 61 injured after the quake.

Local police said a 9-year-old girl in Takatsuki City, north of Osaka, was the first to be confirmed killed. I was trapped in the rubble after the school wall collapsed.

State television station NHK reported that an 80-year-old grandfather was also killed because of a collapsed wall. The station also said some others "stopped circulating".

Japan did not confirm death until an official examination was conducted and often used the phrase "cyclic stop" in such cases.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government "is working with priority first to save people". He also said that he had instructed his subordinates to "quickly collect information about the damage, make every effort to rescue and rescue and provide timely and accurate information to the public".

A house in Osaka was damaged and burned after the earthquake.(Photo: Reuters).

Kansai Electric Power Company said there were no abnormalities at Mihama, Takahama and Ohi nuclear power plants after the earthquake. The company also said more than 170,000 families in neighboring Osaka and Hyogo provinces lost power.

Japan is on the so-called "Pacific Fire Ring" where most of the world's seismic and volcanic activity takes place.