Japan to check concrete walls after Osaka quake deaths
The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck
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
Education Minister
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.
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
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.
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.
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