Major Japan quake traps people inside Kumamoto shopping mall, factory

TSMC, Sony and Fujifilm evacuate plants after magnitude-7.1 temblor An Aeon mall in Japan's Kumamoto prefecture was damaged in an earthquake on July 28, with authorities saying many people could be trapped inside. © Kyodo TOKYO — More than two dozen people may be trapped inside a mall in Japan's southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto after a magnitude-7.1 earthquake triggered an explosion and caused part of the building to collapse Tuesday afternoon. Four people have been rescued from the shopping center, all of whom were conscious, while 10 people were unaccounted for. Police sources said employees were among the 20-30 people who may still be inside the complex. The explosion occurred at Aeon Mall Kumamoto in the town of Kashima after customers had been evacuated, major Japanese retailer Aeon reported. Aeon said it was investigating the cause of the explosion. A senior government official said a gas leak may have caused the blast. Elsewhere, 11 people were trapped after a smokestack collapsed at Nippon Paper Industries' mill in the city of Yatsushiro, authorities said. Two people have been rescued in critical condition, while 9 were missing.

Read the full article at the source →