Elderly customer dies in second Aeon Mall collapse as Japan quake toll rises

An elderly male customer has been confirmed dead after being crushed by falling debris at Aeon Mall Uki, marking a second fatal incident at an Aeon shopping centre following the devastating earthquake in Kumamoto prefecture.

Firefighters received a report on July 31 that a man in his 80s was trapped under debris near a sofa in a bookstore at the mall in Uki city, which recorded shaking of intensity 7. He was found in cardiopulmonary arrest and later died on August 2.

At Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima town, an explosion following the earthquake killed seven employees. Clothing retailer Onward Holdings confirmed three of its staff died, while general goods retailer HABITA lost two employees.

One of the victims, 22-year-old Kurumi Otake, had safely evacuated but returned to the mall after receiving "company instructions," her family said. She died about five minutes later in the explosion. HABITA president Ueno Keishin admitted he had given instructions to return sales proceeds to the safe, resulting in two employees' deaths. He apologised to the families at Otake's wake, saying: "This is truly heartbreaking. I am deeply sorry to both families."

Aeon president Yoshida Akio had earlier stated on July 29: "According to the emergency manual, employees must not re-enter the mall after evacuation."

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓