FM: No Maldivian injured in Osaka earthquake

The gate of Myotoku-ji temple collapses after an earthquake hit Ibaraki City, Osaka, western Japan, Monday, June 18, 2018. A strong earthquake knocked over walls and set off scattered fires around metropolitan Osaka on Monday morning. (Yosuke Mizuno/Kyodo News via AP)

No Maldivian living in Osaka, Japan, was injured in the earthquake which affected the region this Monday morning, says Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Maldives.

Three people were killed and dozens injured in the magnitude 6.1 earthquake which struck Osaka. Water supply pipes have also been damaged in the quake.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs has tweeted that Maldivians living in the area are safe, and that the Embassy of Maldives in Tokyo is keeping a close eye on the situation.

All Maldivians in #Osaka area are safe. Maldives Embassy in Tokyo is closely monitoring the earthquake situation in Western Japan. @MDVinJP
— MFA Maldives (@MDVForeign) June 18, 2018

The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe issued a statement that the safety of the country’s citizens is the government’s first priority.

The city of Osaka is an important industrial hub in Japan. Japanese media reports work has been discontinued at two Panasonic factories and several Toyota factories in the city due to the quake.

The magnitude 9.0 earthquake which struck Japan in 2011 resulted in a tsunami and the death of 18,000 people.