According to a report by NHK on the 29th, after a strong earthquake, an explosion occurred at the Aeon Shopping Mall in Kashima Town, Kumamoto Prefecture. Rescuers have found 8 trapped people; among them, 2 have died and 5 were injured, with another person in critical condition.
Kyodo News also quoted a senior government official as saying that the explosion at the mall may have been caused by a gas leak.
Kumamoto Prefecture experienced a magnitude 7.1 earthquake on the 28th. On the same day, Kyodo News quoted the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' Fire and Disaster Management Agency as saying the mall's total building area is about 120,000 square meters, with a supermarket, restaurants, clothing stores, cinema, hot spring facilities, and more inside. An explosion is suspected to have occurred, with part of the second floor collapsing and many people trapped.
Due to the risk of secondary disasters, the rescue operation was temporarily suspended that night. Currently, rescue efforts have resumed.