▲ Aeon Mall in Kumamoto Prefecture collapsed by a strong earthquake
Search operations for missing persons continued overnight in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, amid lingering anxiety as aftershocks followed a strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck on the afternoon of the 28th (local time).
According to Kyodo News and other outlets on the 29th, local police, fire authorities, and the Self-Defense Forces concentrated all efforts on rescue operations again today.
Residents who experienced a major earthquake 10 years ago spent the night in extreme anxiety.
At Aeon Mall Kumamoto, a large shopping mall in Kashima-machi where an explosion occurred, the outer walls collapsed, exposing the structural steel framework of the building.
In the early hours of the morning, rescue vehicles sounding sirens continuously entered the accident site, and rescue workers thoroughly searched the inside of the building holding flashlights.
Debris was scattered disorderly on surrounding roads, and a truck damaged by the aftermath of the explosion was left abandoned on one side.
A 46-year-old woman living near the mall was left speechless, saying, "I went shopping at Aeon Mall yesterday afternoon, and my heart dropped thinking I almost got caught up in the accident."
She stated that because her home suffered a blackout, she spent the night at a shelter set up in a nearby village hall.
Local transportation networks are also effectively paralyzed.
JR Kumamoto Station in Kumamoto City was swarming with people trying to catch trains from early morning, and some people were spotted sitting on the floor waiting.
Furuta Riko, a 23-year-old office worker waiting for a taxi to return home to Yatsushiro City, spent the night at a nearby office.
"I couldn't sleep as it shook with aftershocks all night," she said. "It was scarier than the Kumamoto earthquake 10 years ago."
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