Tattered AEON Mall Exterior... Kumamoto Streets Resemble a Bomb-Stricken Zone

"Where are you from? How did you get in? You are not allowed to enter."

AEON Mall Kumamoto, a large shopping mall in Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, where a series of explosions followed a magnitude 7.1 strong earthquake on the 28th, resulting in numerous casualties.

On the 29th, the day after the strong earthquake, strict access controls were in place around AEON Mall Kumamoto, creating a tense atmosphere.

Approaching by car, one side of the shopping mall looked surprisingly intact, hard to believe it had suffered a massive explosion just a day prior.

However, the large parking lot, which would normally be bustling with shoppers, was completely empty, with only about 10 Ground Self-Defense Force vehicles deployed for rescue operations standing by.

The Self-Defense Force vehicles bore signs reading "Disaster Relief" on the front and sides, and members could be seen gathered and talking.

Across the vast shopping mall grounds, which were too large to explore easily on foot, almost no traffic or pedestrians could be found, save for Self-Defense Force personnel and reporters.

Despite its deceptively calm exterior, heavy security surrounded the area.

Approaching the main road in front of the AEON Mall, a security guard blocked the way, warning that it was "dangerous."

Looking past the security guard's shoulder, the explosion site at the AEON Mall was sheer devastation.

Exterior wall panels and other parts were shattered and tattered from the force of the explosion, and with the finishing materials stripped away, the upper interior of the building, steel frames, and pipes were exposed to the outside.

Inside, the ceiling had caved in, with broken materials tangled together.

According to local media and other reports, three people have died so far due to the AEON Mall explosion.

With the possibility that people unable to evacuate remain inside the building, search operations are reportedly underway amid strict controls.

Internal footage of the AEON Mall released by the Japanese National Police Agency on this day showed the severity of the disaster.

The video captured walls and pillars in spaces presumed to have housed stores collapsing, with debris scattered all over the floor.

Objects appearing to be structural skeletons and wiring hung from the broken ceiling.

Passing the AEON Mall and approaching Uki, which is closer to the epicenter, a completely different landscape unfolded.

Around Kumamoto Airport and the AEON Mall, which are relatively far from the epicenter, earthquake-damaged buildings were not easily spotted, with the exception of the explosion-hit shopping mall.

However, moving south toward Uki, traces of earthquake damage resembling a bombed area appeared along the streets.

It was difficult to find a private home with its roof tiles intact, and in some places, shattered glass spilled out onto the roads.

Precarious houses with cracked exterior walls and collapsed concrete block retaining walls were also visible.

With expressways restricted, travel was diverted to national highways, where roads split by the earthquake aftermath were also witnessed.

On a road entered to avoid traffic congestion, a train that had derailed during the earthquake on the 28th remained blocking a railway crossing, making passage impossible.

Convenience stores and other shops posted "Closed" notices on their doors to tidy up items that had fallen from shelves during the earthquake, with employees moving busily between the stores and outside.

Stone fences and stone lanterns at roadside shrines had collapsed, and village speakers broadcast announcements about the locations of evacuation shelters.

It was a scene where one could not even estimate how long recovery would take.

However, the residents of Kumamoto, facing a strong earthquake once again 10 years after 2016, were confronted with the reality of having to cope with immediate damage and manage their livelihoods amidst the terror of the earthquake.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.