Japan concludes search for victims in earthquake-hit, explosion-destroyed shopping mall

Japanese authorities have officially ended search and rescue operations at a shopping mall devastated by an explosion that followed a powerful earthquake. The powerful 7.1 magnitude tremor, which struck the Kumamoto region on Tuesday, caused extensive damage, with the mall becoming a focal point of recovery efforts.

During the operations, a total of 12 individuals were recovered from the debris. Of these, seven were confirmed to have died. A spokesperson for Aeon, the mall's operator, confirmed that the deceased were employees of various shops within the complex. Police stated that a thorough search was conducted over the past two days in collaboration with fire services, Self-Defense Forces, and regional police units to ensure no one remained missing.

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We conducted an exhaustive search over the past two days in collaboration with the fire service, the Self-Defense Forces, and other regional police units, to ensure that no one would be left missing.

The earthquake's impact has been widespread, damaging homes and bridges, sparking fires, and disrupting essential services. While power outages have largely been resolved, approximately 59,000 households were still without water as of Saturday. Rescue operations at a paper factory, where an industrial chimney collapsed, also concluded, yielding nine bodies and two survivors. Japan, situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, experiences significant seismic activity, and the region of Kumamoto was previously hit by devastating earthquakes in 2016.

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We did not find anyone in that situation.