Japan earthquake: Two dead after explosion at Aeon mall in Kumamoto

Two women have died and one woman was found unresponsive following an explosion that rocked Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima town on the southwestern main island of Kyushu hours after a powerful magnitude71 earthquake struck JapanGovernment sources told Kyodo News that a gas leak is suspected as the cause of the blast The prefectural government initially reported that ten people were unaccounted for at the siteDefence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi stated that approximately 3600 SelfDefense Forces personnel were mobilised across the disasterhit area to engage in rescue operations alongside emergency crews Kyodo News reportedAccording to the malls operator Aeon Co the explosion occurred after employees and customers had evacuated the shopping complex Prefectural police noted that about 200 people successfully exited prior to the blastHowever the Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported that the buildings second floor collapsed fueling fears that many others remained trapped insideOne person who managed to contact a stranded employee was told that multiple individuals were still waiting to be rescued Kyodo News reportedA shopper who evacuated told Kyodo News that some people were seen returning to the building after initially fleeing the initial temblorAn Aeon spokesperson at the companys headquarters in Chiba east of Tokyo stated that a person in charge had visually confirmed that everyone had evacuated safely only for the explosion to occur over 30 minutes laterThe disaster left ceilings and walls at the mall collapsed exposing the buildings steel frame while scattering heavy debris across the complexA 44yearold man operating a nearby hair salon described hearing a loud noise resembling a large vehicle colliding with something followed immediately by a plume of white smokeMeanwhile according to public broadcaster NHK Kyushu Railway Company has announced the temporary suspension of all services on the Kyushu Shinkansen line beginning with the first train on Wednesday to conduct safety inspections of its tracks and facilities following the disasterNHK reported that operations between Hakata Station and Kumamoto Station in both directions are scheduled to resume if safety is confirmed during morning inspectionsHowever inbound and outbound services between Kumamoto Station and Kagoshimachuo Station will remain suspended throughout the entire dayFollowing the magnitude 71 earthquake Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi mobilised the full resources of the government establishing an Emergency Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters to spearhead rescue and relief operationsIn a post on X she noted that the disaster struck at approximately 427 pm resulting in confirmed structural collapses road damage fires and human casualtiesExpressing heartfelt condolences to all those affected the Prime Minister convened the first emergency response meeting at 749 pm following the official establishment of the task force at 620 pmAddressing compounding challenges in the disaster zones including widespread power outages water shortages and rising concerns over heatstroke the government has pledged to work tirelessly through the nightThe government will work tirelessly through the night to swiftly assess the overall damage situation and carry out emergency disaster response measures starting with the rescue and lifesaving of those affected the PM wroteAs part of ongoing coordination the Prime Minister spoke directly with Kumamoto Prefecture Governor Kimura around 1000 pm to assess conditions on the ground and assure him of comprehensive national backingThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever