Japanese mall had just reopened before earthquake and explosion

Before the magnitude-7.1 earthquake hit, the mall had highlighted its seismically reinforced ceilings and improvements to safety and ⁠resilience.

1 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jul 28, 2026 05:28 PM IST This aerial image shows the damaged AEON Mall after an earthquake in Kashima, Kumamoto prefecture, southern Japan. (AP) After an earthquake of 7.1 magnitude struck Japan’s Kumamoto on Tuesday afternoon, several people are feared dead inside a shopping mall that part