Commuters lined up at an alternative bus stop on the morning of February 1 after the Great Hanshin Earthquake in front of Sannomiya Station in Kobe City.

At 5:46 a.m. on January 17, 1995 (Heisei 7) At 5:46 a.m. on January 17, 1995, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the Hanshin area, with its epicenter on Awaji Island. The earthquake caused damage in 12 prefectures, mainly in Hyogo and Osaka prefectures, leaving 5,348 dead and 33,222 injured. The number of people killed was 5,348, the number of injured 33,222, and the number of collapsed or damaged houses 109,464 (as of February 15 of the same year). The number of houses destroyed or damaged was 109,464 (as of February 15, 2011). Commuters lined up at an alternative bus stop in front of Sannomiya Station in Chuo Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, on the morning of February 1, 1995, after the earthquake. Photographed by a member of the Publishing and Photography Department on February 1, 1995. Sunday Mainichi, February 19, 1995, p. 15.