Aeon Mall in Kumamoto was destroyed by an explosion after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the region on July 28, 2026. Authorities suspect the blast was caused by a gas leak triggered by the quake, which caused the mall to collapse, trapping people inside [1, 2, 3].
The mall had officially reopened less than two months earlier, on June 13, as part of a redevelopment project marking 10 years since the devastating 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. The redevelopment, begun in 2017, included a significant expansion and seismic safety improvements after the original mall was severely damaged by the 7.3 magnitude quake in April 2016 [1, 3].
Before the disaster, Aeon Mall housed about 200 stores and businesses, a cinema, and provided parking for 5,000 cars. Annual visitors had surged past 8 million since 2024, boosted by the opening of a nearby TSMC chip factory [1, 3].
At the time of the July 28 earthquake, employees evacuated roughly 200 people from the mall. However, 20 to 30 employees remained unaccounted for following the explosion. Police delayed search and rescue operations due to aftershock risks and unstable structures. The death toll has risen to 13 and rescue teams are continuing efforts amid dangerous conditions. Takaichi, a local official, said: "There are people who are still waiting to be rescued, and it’s a race against time. We will go all out to find and rescue as many people as we can" [1, 2, 3].
The sequence began with the 2016 earthquake in April, which forced the mall’s closure and a comprehensive redevelopment to improve seismic resilience initiated in 2017 [1, 3]. The reopening in June 2026 was a milestone event commemorating the decade since the disaster [1, 2, 3]. The July 28 quake and ensuing explosion abruptly reversed those gains, causing a catastrophic collapse [1, 2, 3].
Authorities continue recovery efforts as communities reel from the sudden loss. The search for missing individuals remains active despite the ongoing threat of aftershocks and hazardous debris [1, 3].
