Japan's Osaka continues to be rattled by tremors following powerful quake

TOKYO - Osaka Prefecture in western Japan continues to be rattled by tremors in the wake of a 6.1-magnitude quake that struck the region a day earlier killing four and injuring hundreds of others, local officials said Tuesday.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), dozens of aftershocks have continued through Tuesday with a significant tremor hitting again in the early hours of Tuesday morning and jolting the entire region again.

The aftershocks made for an unimaginably uncomfortable night for the some 1,700 people who were forced to spend the night in emergency evacuation centers, local Osaka government officials said.

Due to the continued seismic activity and heavy rainfall expected to hit the affected region through Wednesday, the JMA has deployed its emergency task-force to Osaka and nearby areas to help with recovery efforts and help prevent secondary damage.

"Frequent seismic activity is continuing in the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. Strong tremors could have raised the risk of landslides or building collapse. People in such areas are advised to watch out for further seismic activity and rain," the JMA said in an earlier statement on the issue.

Around 112,000 homes in the quake-hit region remain without gas, according to Osaka Gas Co., who said that gas supply will remain suspended until next Monday, while in some parts of the hard-hit cities of Takatsuki and Minoo hundreds of homes remain without water.

Local authorities have dispatched water trucks to help with the water shortage in these areas, local authorities said.

More than 370 people have been injured as a result of the powerful temblor and 334 houses have been damaged by the quake, the government said Tuesday.

One of the lives lost in the quake was that of nine-year-old girl who was on her way to school when the quake struck at 7:58 am local time on Monday (2258GMT Sunday).

Due to the quake's shallow origin the intensity was violent enough to bring down the outer wall of her school's swimming pool and crush the young girl to death.

A police investigation has been launched into the girl's death as there are suspicions that the wall did not meet safety standards meaning the girl's death could have been a result of negligence.

An education ministry official said after investigating the scene of the fatal accident that the concrete wall may have contained reinforced steel that was too short to properly connect the concrete-block wall to its foundations.