Comment by akg_67
16 hours ago
NHK TV is showing extensive damage including fallen smokestacks at Nippon Paper Factory facility, bridge road separation, fallen bridge lane, road cracks, fire, water coming out of drainage etc. It was a huge earthquake and will take some time to assess the damage.
I at least can see English translated version of NHK here https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/live_tv/
There is a collapsed roof of a shopping centre as well in Kumamoto. The Aeon Mall.
The mall had a (most likely gas) explosion, and there are many dead being found inside https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/2833412?display=1
> The mall had a (most likely gas) explosion
If the internet searches are to be believed, that is indeed sadly likely to be the cause.
The internet suggests the explosion happened on the second floor of the mall where a large food court is located.
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This article has confirmation that there was a report of a gas leak, and if you scroll down there is a dashcam video of the explosion https://news.web.nhk/newsweb/na/na-k10015188721000
For the record, Aeon Mall is basically a brand - there are many Aeon malls in Japan in various cities.
Yes but there is just one in Kumamoto.
The second floor of the mall exploded for some reason, and the roof collapse is secondary to that. It seems to have happened after the earthquake and subsequent evacuation. There are videos of people leaving the mall:
https://x.com/yuto4388/status/2082060992377475247/video/1?s=...
It is due to a gas leak that caused an explosion.
That mall was also damaged in a similar earthquake that happened in 2016.
And ironically in their press release for the re-open they said they re-built it with more disaster-proofing with the knowledge from the previous disaster...
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