"It Suddenly Exploded" Two Dead in Kumamoto Shopping Mall Disaster

[Financial News, Tokyo = Reporter Seo Hye-jin] Japanese media outlets, including NHK, reported on the 29th that a major explosion at a large shopping mall in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan, left casualties, including the deaths of two women in their 20s, following the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck the area on the 28th. Police, firefighters, and the JSDF are carrying out overnight rescue operations as secondary damage from the blast has turned into a major disaster.
According to the Japanese government and Kumamoto Prefecture, the explosion occurred around 6 p.m. the previous day at Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, and eight people had been rescued by 4 a.m. that day. Two women in their 20s were confirmed dead, one person was in cardiac arrest, and the remaining five were reported to be unharmed.
The explosion is believed to have originated in the center of the building. Part of the second floor collapsed, the exterior wall was heavily torn away to expose the steel frame, and damage was found throughout the interior. Police, firefighters, and the JSDF are continuing searches around locations where signs of life were detected, but rescue efforts are being hampered by the risk of further collapse.
According to police, about 200 shoppers and employees evacuated the building immediately after the earthquake, but some staff members are believed to have remained inside. Authorities initially raised the possibility that 20 to 30 people may have been trapped, but they are now working to confirm the actual number of people involved.
A dashcam from a vehicle passing by the scene captured the moment of the explosion. White smoke suddenly billowed from the building, and debris was blown onto the road along with the blast.
The Japanese government is placing weight on the possibility of a gas leak caused by the earthquake. A government official said, "We received reports that gas was leaking," adding, "After shutting off the gas valve, police, firefighters, and the JSDF are carrying out rescue operations." However, the cause of the explosion has not yet been officially confirmed.
Kuwana Kazunori, a professor at Tokyo University of Science and an expert in fire and explosion incidents, analyzed the situation, saying, "Given that the walls and pillars of the building were shattered, it appears that a powerful blast force was at work." He added, "It is possible that gas facilities were damaged by the earthquake, allowing leaked gas to accumulate in an enclosed space before igniting."
Damage to industrial facilities also continued. At the Nippon Paper Yatsushiro Plant in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture, part of a chimney collapsed, trapping 11 workers. Two of them have been rescued but are in cardiac arrest, while the fate of the remaining nine has not yet been confirmed.
Daily infrastructure also suffered major damage. According to MLIT, about 140,000 households in 17 cities and towns in Kumamoto Prefecture lost water supply, including 60,000 households across Yatsushiro City. Based on Kyushu Electric Power figures, about 41,700 households were without electricity as of early morning on the 29th.
Transportation networks were effectively paralyzed. The Kyushu Shinkansen suspended service across its entire route, and major sections of expressways were also closed. JAL canceled 11 flights departing from or arriving at Kumamoto Airport. ANA plans to resume most normal operations after completing safety inspections at the airport.
The earthquake prompted evacuation orders for more than 200,000 people in six cities and towns in Kumamoto Prefecture.
The JMA named the quake the "Reiwa 8 Kumamoto Earthquake" and warned that it was similar in character to the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake. It said strong aftershocks of up to seismic intensity 7 should be expected for about a week, and that powerful quakes are especially likely to continue for two to three days after the event.

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