Aeon Mall Explosion Leaves Sobering Lesson on Safety; Facilities Nationwide Asked to Review Measures
It will soon be one month since the major explosion that occurred at a shopping mall following the massive earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28. Seven people died in the accident, which left a sobering lesson about safety measures.
A month has passed since a catastrophic explosion at Aeon Mall Kumamoto, following a powerful earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28. Seven individuals perished, all employees of businesses within the mall complex. The victims, predominantly women in their 20s to 60s, had initially evacuated the facility but later re-entered, resulting in their fatal fate.
Aeon Co., the mall's operator, faced criticism for not strictly adhering to safety protocols, as stated in its disaster manual. The manual stipulates that no one should re-enter a facility until safety has been confirmed following an evacuation. However, the company allowed re-entry on a case-by-case basis, despite requests from several employees to retrieve personal belongings.
An earthquake of upper 6 on Japan's seismic intensity scale struck the town at around 4:27 p.m., causing significant damage to the mall exterior. Investigations by the Kumamoto prefectural police and the Economy, Trade, and Industry Ministry are ongoing. Aeon plans to revise its disaster manuals to enhance safety measures, including better informing employees of protocols.
Nationwide, commercial facilities are now required to review their disaster response measures following the incident.
Written by urgent.news from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
