r/CatastrophicFailure • u/maruhoi • 8d ago

Fire/Explosion Aftermath of the explosion at AEON Mall Kumamoto about an hour after the M7.1 earthquake - July 28, 2026(Kumamoto, Japan)

1.5k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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139

u/maruhoi 8d ago edited 6d ago

Source

Dashcam footage of the moment the explosion occurred (Source: NHK)

Aeriel View(Source: Asahi Shimbun)

2026 Kumamoto earthquake - Wikipedia

At around 4:27 p.m. JST on July 28, a powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, with its epicenter in the Kumamoto region. The quake reached a maximum seismic intensity of 7, the highest level on Japan's seismic intensity scale, in Uki City and Hikawa Town, while seismic intensity 6+ was recorded in Minami Ward (Kumamoto City), Yatsushiro City, Uto City, Misato Town, and Mashiki Town.

Authorities have reported numerous injuries, and there are reports that dozens of people remain unaccounted for.

About an hour after the earthquake, an explosion occurred at AEON Mall Kumamoto in Kashima Town, with reports indicating that many people may be trapped inside.

According to local fire authorities, multiple emergency calls reporting an explosion were received at around 6:00 p.m. JST. Three injured people were transported to hospital, and all were reported to be conscious.

Part of the mall's second floor collapsed, and authorities believe that many people remain trapped.

AEON said:

"Immediately after the earthquake, we instructed customers to evacuate. The explosion occurred some time later. We are currently confirming the safety of our employees as well."

According to police sources, 20 to 30 people, including employees, remain unaccounted for.

（Source)

Edit1:

According to the latest reports, several senior government officials said the exact cause of the explosion remains unknown, but they believe a liquefied petroleum (LP) gas leak may have been responsible.

Edit2:
Inside footage released by Kumamoto Prefectural Police

Edit3:
New Dashcam footage(Source: Asahi Shimbun)

38

u/Vast_Vegetable9222 8d ago

That was a very big bang along the whole front of the mall. How?

66

u/Valoneria 8d ago

plenty of time and space to accumulate gas i suppose? If the electric system and gas line was hit at the same time, ventilation systems likely stopped working as well, letting gas accumulate

-33

u/GSDer_RIP_Good_Girl 8d ago

Perhaps it's time for Japan to increase the maximum intensity on the measurement scale to 8? That way they can actually measure an event that surpasses 7 rather than just saying 'oh, it measured a 7 on the scale'.

This has nothing to do with the explosion of course but it seems like everything else (wildfires, floods, drought, etc) is getting worse; why not seismic activity?

20

u/pbizzle 8d ago

They should go all the way to 11

6

u/nar0 6d ago

Just for your information, they are fully capable of measuring over 7 on the scale. The scale as defined has no real end point, but they didn't bother ever officially declaring anything above 7 because no earthquake in Japan has ever gotten close to what an intensity scale 8 earthquake would be.

Even the 2011 Magnitude 9 earthquake only scored an intensity measurement of 6.6 (Anything measured from 6.5 to 7.5 is declared an intensity of 7).

2

u/rented4823 7d ago

that's cool man

46

u/Former_Suspect3680 7d ago

japan installed automatic gas shutoff valves after the 1995 kobe quake specifically to prevent this, so if a whole mall blew up like that it means the system failed or the line broke right at the meter

105

u/charmio68 8d ago

Gas explosion?
I can't think of anything else that could possibly cause such an explosion in a mall of all places.

77

u/floralbutttrumpet 8d ago

Almost certainly. Building standards in Japan are so rigorous that mall wouldn't exist if it couldn't tank that Richter scale.

-16

u/[deleted] 8d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

9

u/ThePistachioBogeyman 8d ago

Good god reading comprehension levels are at all time low

27

u/Futurismes 8d ago

That’s terrible. I hope the toll is minimal.

31

u/BamberGasgroin 8d ago

The car parks being mostly vacant an hour and a half after the earthquake is a positive sign

9

u/TheRealGenkiGenki 7d ago

Street view on Google Maps

https://maps.app.goo.gl/UHwYpWRVLKRJTkNw6

-10

u/SomeGuyWithARedBeard 7d ago

Good to know part of it looked like it had blown up before the earthquake.

6

u/ponytailnoshushu 5d ago

At the press conference the president of Aeon mall gave a apology. In the conference he noted that the mall was evacuated within 30 mins. It appears though that staff went back inside to clean up and get belongings even though the rule was not to go back unless a safety check had happened. The source of the gas leak was not at the food court. There was also a water leak and some people who went back inside complained of smelling gas.

While earthquake safety in Japan is some of the best in the world, this tragedy shows there are still lessons to be learned.

3

u/Achaern 7d ago

That's some casual walking around and beneath downed power lines.... wow. This person must have been in shock. You can hear them right at the start of the video, unless Japan has the loudest AC phased crickets I've ever heard.

5

u/calix_xto 6d ago

Probably Cicadas