[Anchor]

Damage from the earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan, continues to grow. A magnitude 7.1 strong earthquake triggered building collapses and a massive shopping mall explosion, leaving 13 people dead so far. First, let us look at footage from the time that shows the sheer power of the shopping mall explosion.

Our first report comes from Kim Yongtae.

[Reporter]

At 5:46 PM yesterday, July 28, about an hour and 20 minutes after the initial earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan.

The large AEON Mall shopping center exploded.

It erupted in a plume of smoke, and the impact sent building debris scattering in all directions.

The moment of the explosion was also witnessed from a car passing nearby at the same time.

Startled cars all came to a stop to assess the situation.

This is another scene believed to be immediately after the explosion.

Amidst thick smoke, people are hastily evacuating outside the AEON Mall while crouching down.


[Down, down.]

Footage of the inside of the shopping mall filmed by Japanese police reveals the true scale of the power at the time of the explosion.

The ceiling was torn apart as if hit by a bombing, and various parts of the store were transformed into something resembling a battlefield.

Due to the explosion at the AEON Mall, which employs 2,700 staff members alone, 3 people have been confirmed dead so far, and 1 is in a state of cardiac arrest.

[Yoshida / AEON Group Representative: As of this moment, based on what our company has ascertained, the status of 3 people remains unconfirmed.]

All of the deceased are reported to be store employees, and AEON Group stated that some employees appear to have returned inside the building after evacuating customers when the earthquake struck.

Judging by the scale of the blast, it is presumed to be a gas explosion, and the exact cause is currently under investigation.

[Minoru Kihara / Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary: While firefighters and police were conducting searches yesterday, reports were received that the smell of gas was detected inside the building. The detailed cause is currently under investigation.]

At the nearby Nippon Paper Industries mill in Yatsushiro, a large smokestack collapsed, killing 5 people and injuring 2 others.

The confirmed death toll currently stands at 13, and there are still several missing persons at each accident site.

[Sanae Takaichi / Prime Minister of Japan: It is a race against time. We will mobilize all available resources to rescue as many people as possible.]

Amid growing concerns that casualties could rise further, the number of earthquake evacuees has reached 7,700.

(Video Editing: Chae Chul-ho, Video Source: Asahi (Hiyoshi Kengo))