TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that three people have been confirmed dead after an explosion rocked a shopping mall in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, following a powerful earthquake on Tuesday evening.
Speaking at a government disaster response meeting on Wednesday, July 29, as reported by Xinhua and quoted by Antara, Takaichi revealed that numerous people remain trapped inside AEON Mall Kumamoto in Kashima City.
Takaichi also noted that several individuals remain missing after a smokestack collapsed at the Nippon Paper factory in Yatsushiro City, with rescue operations underway at both sites. "More than 20 hours have passed since the earthquake, yet people are still awaiting rescue," she emphasized.
Takaichi mentioned that around 450 evacuation centers have opened, sheltering approximately 7,700 displaced residents amid scorching heat and expectations of prolonged displacement.
She noted that the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) have expanded their deployment to 4,600 personnel for relief operations, alongside 2,000 police officers.
Earlier, Takaichi confirmed that 13 people died after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto at 4:27 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
During a press conference on Wednesday morning, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara stated that in addition to the 13 fatalities, authorities received reports of seven people suffering severe injuries and 29 others sustaining minor injuries.
New Mall Opened Last Month
The complex, the largest in Kumamoto, had reopened just last month after undergoing extensive seismic upgrades following heavy damage in the 2016 earthquake.
Roughly an hour after Tuesday's quake forced thousands to evacuate, an explosion tore through the building, hurling debris across the parking lot. Emergency crews pulled eight people from the rubble on Wednesday morning, three of whom were deceased.
"I thought a bomb had gone off," Takateru Sonoda, 41, who manages a nearby salon and cafe, told Jiji Press as quoted by Asiaone. He recalled sirens blaring and gridlocked streets.
AEON President Akio Yoshida confirmed staff evacuated 3,000 shoppers within 30 minutes, though a few employees remained inside or returned before the blast. Meanwhile, rescue operations were initially delayed by over 100 aftershocks recorded through Tuesday evening.
Explosion Believed to be Triggered by Gas
First responders reported a strong odor of gas around the wreckage, prompting emergency broadcasts warning bystanders to stay clear of the building.
AEON officials clarified that the mall relies on outdoor liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanks, which had passed routine safety inspections last month and appeared undamaged.
Despite automatic shut-off protocols designed for seismic events, AEON President Yoshida acknowledged that a gas leakage is considered the most likely trigger. "We did not fully anticipate that an explosion like this could occur," he admitted.
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