Japan Shopping Mall Where 7 Died Was Known as Disaster Shelter, Sparking Anxiety

[Anchor]

As search and rescue operations continue at the earthquake-hit site in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, the death toll has risen to 34. Notably, the shopping mall where 7 people died is known in Japan to serve as an evacuation center during natural disasters. Anxiety is growing as even the places meant to offer refuge from earthquakes prove unsafe.

Reporter Kim Yongtae has the story.

[Reporter]

The Aeon Mall shopping center in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan, exploded just 45 days after completing interior renovations and reopening.

[Yuko / Resident of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan]

"It sounded like a massive explosion right next to my ears. I didn't even know it was an earthquake; the noise was so loud it hurt my ears."

In Japan, large shopping malls are used as evacuation shelters during natural disasters such as earthquakes or typhoons because of their spacious areas and food supplies.

Aeon Group has also signed disaster response agreements with some 200 local governments, and during the strong earthquake in 2016, it opened its parking lots to evacuees sleeping in cars.

Japanese society is shaken by the fact that such an evacuation site exploded, resulting in 7 deaths so far.

It is suspected that gas pipes were damaged by the earthquake's impact, causing a large amount of gas to leak and explode. While Aeon Group explained that gas supply is automatically cut off when vibrations occur, it has begun inspecting gas facilities at shopping malls nationwide.

[Yoshida / Representative of Aeon Group (Yesterday)]

"Since we have been operating Aeon Malls, there has never been an accident related to the gas supplied. Such an accident did not happen even during the Great East Japan Earthquake."

At a Nippon Paper Industries plant, a 100-meter-tall chimney snapped in half and collapsed onto an office building, killing 8 people.

Japanese media report that both the building and the chimney were built with earthquake-resistant designs.

However, experts point out that if the degree of shaking exceeds the manageable limit, or if shaking occurs in the middle of the chimney rather than at its base, vulnerable parts can snap.

Consequently, calls are rising to re-examine seismic standards for large chimneys and tower-style facilities.

Amid emergency recovery efforts for the earthquake damage, the death toll has climbed to 34, and about 10,000 residents continue to live in evacuation shelters.

Video by Kim Byeong-jik

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