The western Japan city of Kobe and neighboring areas marked the 24th anniversary Thursday of the deadly earthquake that claimed 6,434 lives.

Residents and families of the deceased observed a moment of silence at 5:46 a.m., the time the Great Hanshin Earthquake struck the city in Hyogo Prefecture west of Osaka in 1995.

"I fear that the lessons we learned from the earthquake, and our memories of it, are waning," Hyogo Gov. Toshizo Ido said at a memorial ceremony.

Ido highlighted the importance of being prepared for emergencies, particularly after a series of natural disasters struck Japan last year and with experts warning of a possible megaquake along the Nankai Trough, which extends southwest from central Japan along the Pacific coastal regions.

(Collapsed highway in Kobe on Jan. 17, 1995)

(Black smoke rising from Kobe after the quake on Jan. 17, 1995)

"I want to convey to the younger generations how we recovered (after the quake) by building deeper bonds with each other," Daisuke Shibata, 31, said at the ceremony as a representative of the bereaved families. He lost two younger brothers in the quake, which destroyed or caused damage to some 640,000 homes.

In addition to the 6,434 killed, the magnitude 7.3 quake left some 43,000 others injured. As many as 310,000 people evacuated to emergency shelters.