Three people died as a result of the strong quake in Japan, the NHK broadcaster reported, citing police in Osaka Prefecture. The victims of the earthquake were reportedly two elderly men and a little girl.
READ MORE: WATCH Video of Quake Aftermath Near Nuclear Plant in Iran
The number of those injured in a powerful earthquake stands at 200 people. Earlier, it was reported that at least 51 people had got wounded in four prefectures, including Osaka and Hyogo.
In addition, Disaster Management Minister Hachiro Okonogi said that there were reports of people being buried under collapsed buildings, according to the broadcaster.
地震発生時の大阪府豊中市です。 pic.twitter.com/Pjlw9F0YSv
— rumachi@1日目 東ラ-14a (@rumachi_tw) June 18, 2018
— 日月 (@kotobuki1886) 18 июня 2018 г.
— ダクト博士 (@virtue_flash) 17 июня 2018 г.
— Girlynews (@Girlynews11) 17 июня 2018 г.
「地震おきてラッキーw休校になるんじゃね?w」と言っているあなた。
— 極 —kiwami- (@messi_terorian) 18 июня 2018 г.
これが阪神淡路大震災、東北大震災です。
忘れないでください。
pic.twitter.com/d26tU4zUgR
Some 800 people in the Japanese western Osaka prefecture were accommodated by evacuation centers after a powerful earthquake that had hit the area earlier on Monday, local media reported.
A total of 395 evacuation centers had been opened in the prefecture after the natural disaster, the Kyodo news agency reported.
The tremor has also resulted in partial suspension of bullet train services, as well as of airport activities, the media outlet added.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he is praying for souls of the people who passed away in the earthquake and expressed his sympathy to the people affected by it.
Earlier in the day, Japan's Meteorological Agency reported that a 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit western Japan, particularly the Osaka prefecture. Soon after that the agency updated the magnitude up to 6.1.
Japan is a seismically active region. In March 2011, a 9.0-magnitude offshore earthquake triggered a 46-foot tsunami that hit Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant, leading to the leakage of radioactive materials and the shutdown of the plant. The accident is considered to be the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.