Great Hanshin earthquake

The Great Hanshin earthquake (阪神大震災; Hanshin-daishinsai) measured at 7.2 on the Richter Scale occurred on January 17, 1995 at 5:46am 52 sec in South Hyogo and lasted for approx. 20 seconds. The epicenter of the earthquake was less than 20 km below Awaji island[?], near the city of Kobe. 5,477 people lost their life mainly in Kobe. It was the worst earthquake in Japan since the Great Kanto earthquake[?] in 1923 which claimed 140,000 lives.

The earthquake is also known under the following names: Kobe, South Hyogo, Hyogo-ken Nanbu, and Great Hanshin-Awaji.