25 cats survive explosion that gutted one of southern Japan's biggest malls
Twenty-five cats stuck inside a shopping mall in Japan gutted in an explosion after a major earthquake have been rescued, the operator said Thursday, triggering huge relief on social media.
On Tuesday, a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck southern Japan, causing extensive damage to one of the region's largest malls in Kashima. The Aeon mall, which housed Cat Cafe MOFF on its ground floor, was evacuated following the quake. Within the building, 25 cats were found to be unharmed by the explosion, which was likely caused by gas.
Despite the mall's evacuation, employees returned to retrieve the feline residents when a massive blast ripped through the structure. Local authorities reported that at least 34 people lost their lives in the quake, which claimed the lives of seven individuals at the mall. After receiving permission from the fire service, police, and the mall operator, MOFF's manager and staff successfully rescued all 25 cats and transported them to Hiroshima, Japan, where they reside in another cat cafe.
Concerns were raised about the cats' fatigue during their journey, but they quickly settled into their new environment. The miraculous escape of the cats from the mall garnered widespread attention, with an online article garnering 7.9 million views on X. While the focus on the cats' safety has been met with support, others have criticized the media's attention on the animals over the significant loss of human life in the quake.
The mall, one of the largest in the southern Kyushu region, was described as spanning approximately 120,000 square meters of floor space, housing around 200 specialty stores, 5,000 parking spaces, and employing 2,700 staff members.
Written by urgent.news from VnExpress International's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
