Japan commemorates first anniversary of Kumamoto quake

Japan on Friday commemorated the first anniversary of a massive earthquake that struck the region of Kumamoto, resulting in 225 deaths.

Relatives of victims and Japanese authorities, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, gathered in the city of Kumamoto to join in a ceremony that began at 10 a.m., after one minute's silence, Efe news reported.

"There is still much to do because there are more than 47,000 people who are still living in temporary housing," Abe said.

Abe added that the government will do all it can to rebuild victims' lives and will always remember the lessons of Kumamoto to strengthen the country in the face of future natural disasters.

The earthquakes of 6.5 and 7.3 magnitude that shook the prefectures of Kumamoto and Oita on the Kyushu island on April 14 and 16, 2016r.

The first quake peaked at 7 on the Japanese scale for the first time since the devastating earthquake of March 11, 2011, which generated a massive tsunami that left more than 18,000 dead and missing in northeastern Japan, and triggered the Fukushima nuclear accident.

The Kumamoto earthquake destroyed or damaged more than 190,000 homes, forcing thousands of people to evacuate.

--IANS

ksk/vt