6,434 Candles Lit to Remember Victims of Kobe Quake 30 Years Ago

Itami, Hyogo Pref., Jan. 16 (Jiji Press)--About 400 people on Thursday prayed for the 6,434 victims of a 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck the Kobe area in western Japan 30 years ago by lighting 6,434 candles.

The participants in the candlelit vigil at a park in Itami, Hyogo Prefecture, observed a moment of silence at 5:46 p.m. to remember the victims of the quake that struck at 5:46 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1995.

The candles were each adorned with messages such as “We’ll continue to pass on the victims’ hopes.”

“I prayed for the many lives that were lost,” said Satoshi Masaki, 66, whose home was destroyed in the quake.

“I hope that the lessons we learned are passed onto the younger generation who were born after the disaster,” he said.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]