Several feared dead in Japan after 7.1 magnitude earthquake triggers mall explosion

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 28, 2026 06:07 PM IST

Several people are feared killed inside a shopping mall that partially collapsed after an earthquake of 7.1 magnitude struck Japan’s Kumamoto on Tuesday afternoon, reports stated.

Japan’s local media reported that there was an explosion at the Aeon Mall in Kumamoto following the massive earthquake. It remains unclear how many people were trapped inside the mall when the second floor suddenly collapsed, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported, citing fire officials.

【地震】熊本イオンモール熊本で爆発https://t.co/cc3ru0syKJ pic.twitter.com/aI4j4ELEv5

— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) July 28, 2026

The report added that close to 50 people were injured in the blast, and police said that “quite a few” were presumed dead in the explosion at the Aeon Mall, Reuters reported, citing broadcaster TBS.

熊本宇城市と氷川町で震度7 被害相次ぐhttps://t.co/fAoIlTGbTd pic.twitter.com/XUUqaauCBg

— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) July 28, 2026

The 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the southern main island of Kyushu around 4:30 pm (local time), with 300,000 people being directed to evacuation shelters by rescue teams. Several people who were travelling on a high-speed train at the time of the quake were also injured, reports stated.

This aerial image shows the damaged AEON Mall after an earthquake in Kashima, Kumamoto prefecture, southern Japan. (AP)

An Aeon Mall spokesperson said that customers and employees were evacuated after the earthquake, and the exact reason behind the explosion at the mall remains unclear.

Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi informed that 300 members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces would be sent to Southern Japan to help with disaster relief measures.

A few minutes ago: The stone walls of Kumamoto Castle collapsed following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake (地震 ) that struck 4 km southeast of Uki, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. pic.twitter.com/PwXwldRmIr

— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) July 28, 2026

An eyewitness, Kazuya Tsurunaga, who was cleaning dishes broken by the earthquake in a pub 300 metres from the Aeon Mall, told TBS news that “It was a huge impact.”

“A large cloud of smoke billowed up, and because the wind happened to be blowing and the wind direction was towards the shop, the area around us was in a state like volcanic ash was falling,” Tsurunaga added.

The massive earthquake also led to the collapse of parts of the stone walls of Japan’s historic Kumamoto Castle in the southern Kyushu region.

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