Japan's government has ordered an emergency inspection of cinder-block walls at schools nationwide, a day after an earthquake in Osaka killed five people, two of whom were crushed by falling walls.
In this June 18, 2018, photo, people walk on a bridge while train and subway service were suspended to check for damage after an earthquake in Osaka, western Japan. The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck the area early Monday damaged buildings and left many homes without water or gas. The quake also grounded flights in and out of Osaka and paralyzed traffic and commuter trains most of the day. (Meika Fujio/Kyodo News via AP)
The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck Osaka during Monday's morning rush hour injured more than 370 people in the region, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. The quake also damaged many buildings and disrupted traffic.
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Japan's government has ordered an emergency inspection of cinder-block walls at schools nationwide, a day after an earthquake in Osaka killed five people, two of whom were crushed by falling walls.
The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck Osaka during Monday's morning rush hour injured more than 370 people in the region, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. The quake also damaged many buildings and disrupted traffic.
Education Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters Tuesday he was ordering all public elementary and junior high schools to "urgently" inspect their walls. Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Keiichi Ishii said he planned to raise awareness of the potential risks of cinder-block walls among private property owners as well.
Japanese schools have largely upgraded the safety of classrooms and other buildings to meet current anti-quake standards, but many of the old cinder-block walls have been left untouched. Past local government surveys in school neighborhoods have found most walls lack additional safety reinforcement.
Officials in Takatsuki city have acknowledged that the wall at the municipal-run school that broke and killed the girl exceeded the legal height limit of 2.2 meters (about 7 feet). On Tuesday, police investigated the site and city officials on suspicion of professional negligence.
Authorities confirmed a fifth victim Tuesday — a 66-year-old man found dead, covered with books and other objects at a home in Takatsuki.
The death of 9-year-old Rina Miyake just outside her school in Takatsuki city has sparked concerns about cinder-block walls and prompted authorities to call for safety checks. An 80-year-old man, who was on his way to volunteer in a neighborhood watch while schoolchildren walked to school, also was killed by a collapsing wall.
A woman reacts near flowers near the site where a concrete wall at an elementary school fell onto the street and killed a 9-year-old, in Takatsuki, Osaka, western Japan, Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Residents in western Japan were cleaning up debris Monday evening after a powerful earthquake hit the area around Osaka, the country 's second-largest city, killing four people and injuring hundreds while knocking over walls and setting off fires. (Shohei Miyano/Kyodo News via AP)
Education Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters Tuesday he was ordering all public elementary and junior high schools to "urgently" inspect their walls. Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Keiichi Ishii said he planned to raise awareness of the potential risks of cinder-block walls among private property owners as well.
Concrete walls made of stacked cinder-blocks are a known risk in earthquakes but the danger has been largely ignored even though the current building codes call for walls built before 1981 to be upgraded. Japan introduced stricter quake-resistant standards in 1981 after cinderblock walls caused 11 of the 16 deaths in Sendai city and its vicinity in a 1978 quake in northern Japan, according to municipal records. That quake killed 28 altogether.
Residents clean up debris in Ibaraki, Osaka, western Japan, Tuesday, June 19, 2018. The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck the area early Monday damaged buildings and left many homes without water or gas. The quake also grounded flights in and out of Osaka and paralyzed traffic and commuter trains most of the day. (Yoshitaka Sugawara/Kyodo News via AP)
Japanese schools have largely upgraded the safety of classrooms and other buildings to meet current anti-quake standards, but many of the old cinder-block walls have been left untouched. Past local government surveys in school neighborhoods have found most walls lack additional safety reinforcement.
Some quake-prone cities in central and eastern Japan, including Tokyo, Aichi and Shizuoka, have started offering subsidies for dismantling or reinforcing cinder-block walls as a way to motivate private owners.
Police investigate the site where a 9-year-old girl was killed by falling concrete walls, in Takatsuki, Osaka, western Japan, Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Japan's government has ordered an inspection of schools walls across the country after two of the four deaths in Monday's earthquake in Osaka were caused by falling concrete walls. (Shohei Miyano/Kyodo News via AP)
Officials in Takatsuki city have acknowledged that the wall at the municipal-run school that broke and killed the girl exceeded the legal height limit of 2.2 meters (about 7 feet). On Tuesday, police investigated the site and city officials on suspicion of professional negligence.
Elsewhere in Takatsuki and the other hardest hit areas, relief workers and residents worked to return life to normal. Many homes remained without safe drinking water or gas Tuesday.
The concrete wall lies down after a 9-year-old girl was killed when it fell down in an earthquake, in Takatsuki, Osaka, western Japan, Tuesday, June 19, 2018. Japan's government has ordered an inspection of schools walls across the country after two of the four deaths in Monday's earthquake in Osaka were caused by falling concrete walls. (Shohei Miyano/Kyodo News via AP)
While some stores remained closed Tuesday for safety inspections or repairs, residents rushed to operating grocery stores to stock up on bottled water, instant noodles and other preserved food.
Authorities have warned residents of possible strong aftershocks.
