Death Toll Rises to 34 in Earthquake… Growing Anxiety Over 'Shelter Explosion'

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As search and rescue operations continue at the earthquake site in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, the death toll has risen to 34. In particular, anxiety is growing following an explosion at a shopping mall where 7 people died, as large shopping malls in Japan also serve as evacuation shelters during natural disasters.

Reporting by Kim Yongtae.

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

[Yuko / Resident of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan : It felt like a massive explosion right next to my ears. I didn't even know it was an earthquake, but the sound was so loud that my ears hurt.]

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

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

Japanese society is in a state of unease given that such a shelter exploded, resulting in 7 deaths so far.

It is suspected that gas pipes were damaged by the earthquake's impact, causing a large leak that led to the explosion. While the AEON Group explained that gas supplies automatically shut off when vibrations occur, it has launched inspections of gas facilities at shopping malls nationwide.

[Yoshida / AEON Group Representative (the day before yesterday) : Since we have been operating AEON Malls, there have never been any accidents related to the gas supplied. Not even during the Great East Japan Earthquake did such an accident occur.]

At a Nippon Paper Industries factory, a 100-meter-high smokestack snapped in half and collapsed onto an office building, killing 8 people.

Japanese media reported that both the buildings and the smokestack were designed to be earthquake-resistant.

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

Consequently, calls are emerging to re-examine earthquake resistance standards for large smokestacks and tower-type facilities.

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

(Video Editing: Kim Byeong-jik)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.