MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said no Filipinos have been reported hurt after a magnitude-5.3 earthquake killed at least 3 people in Osaka, Japan, on Monday morning, June 18.

The DFA said around 16,295 Filipinos live in Japan’s Kansai Region, “which was in the immediate epicenter of the earthquake.”

“We express our condolences to the government of Japan over the loss of lives in this morning’s earthquake in the Kansai Region,” said Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano in a statement.

The Philippine consulate general in Osaka advised Filipinos in the prefectures of Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, and Shiga “to be on alert for aftershocks and avoid unnecessary travel.” 

Top Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga on Monday confirmed the deaths of a child and a man, and said a third person was also feared dead in the quake.

There were no immediate reports of major damage and no tsunami warning was issued after the powerful quake, which stranded commuters and left tens of thousands without power.

Japan sits on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire” where a large proportion of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are recorded. – with reports from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com