Company Ordered Staff Back Inside Before Aeon Mall Kumamoto Explosion

Aug 02, 2026 | News On Japan

Kumamoto - Two female employees who died in the explosion at Aeon Mall Kumamoto were ordered by their company to return to the building after initially evacuating following the earthquake so they could place sales proceeds in a safe, company executives said on August 2.

Two executives of Habita, the operator of the variety store where the employees worked, disclosed the instruction during interviews with reporters.

The executives said they attended the wake of one of the victims, apologized to her family and handed them a written account of the events leading up to the explosion.

According to the family, one of the victims was 22-year-old Kurumi Otake of Kumamoto City. She had initially gone outside after the earthquake on July 28 but was later seen returning to the mall.

Source: Kyodo

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