Kobe

Facts about Kobe Earthquake

* The epicentre of the earthquake was located, approximately 20 km away from Kobe, on the northern end of Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture.

* Lasting for about 20 seconds, the earthquake led to 18 cm horizontal and 12 cm vertical movement of land.

* The city of Kobe, with a population of 1.5 million, was the closest to the epicentre. Due to its proximity, it was the worst affected Japanese city.

* According to the final estimates, 6,434 people were killed, while 300,000 were left homeless due to this natural disaster. Of the 6,434 people who lost their lives, 4,600 were from Kobe.

* The Kobe earthquake has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records, as the 'costliest natural disaster to befall any one country.'

* Even after 13 years, Japan has not been able to recover from this natural calamity.

* The earthquake gave a major jolt to the Japanese economy. The damage was estimated around $102.5 billion. It was followed by a major decline in the Japanese Stock Markets, Nikkei 225 dropped by a thousand points the following day.

* A memorial representing the date of this natural calamity, 1.17, is illuminated at Higashi Yuen chi Park, next to Kobe City Hall on the 17th of January every year.

* The earthquake occurred on 17th January, 1995, at 5:46 am Japan Standard Time.

* This was the first earthquake that recorded a seismic intensity of 7 on the shin do magnitude scale that is used by the Japan Meteorological Agency.