The port city of Kobe in the western Japanese prefecture of Hyogo on Monday marked the 27th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake striking the region and claiming the lives of 6,434 people.

A moment of silence was observed at 5:46 a.m. local time on Monday morning, the time the 7.3-magnitude earthquake rocked the region in 1995.

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Mourners lit around 5,000 lanterns made from bamboo and paper on the previous evening.

The lanterns formed the numbers "1.17" to signify the date of the deadly temblor. The lanterns also formed the kanji character for "forget", local media reported.

"Forget" in this instance is intended to be a message of hope and wishes for the quake and the calamity it brought to never be forgotten.

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The memorial events and number of attendees this year in Kobe and its surrounding regions have been scaled down compared with past years as the current COVID-19 situation is gripping the nation, although the city and prefecture are keen for memories and lessons of the deadly earthquake to be passed down to younger generations.