Overview
- A strong earthquake that registered seismic intensity 7 struck Kumamoto, and a collapsed wall/ceiling at Aeon Mall Uki left an about-80-year-old man pinned on a first-floor sofa.
- Uki Wide-area Union Fire Department rescuers found the man in cardiopulmonary arrest after a mall employee called emergency services around 6:15 p.m. on July 31.
- The man was taken to hospital the same day and Aeon confirmed on August 2 that he had died at the receiving medical facility.
- Aeon says staff led customers outdoors and performed a visual interior check immediately after the quake, but the trapped man was found only during a subsequent, more detailed safety confirmation.
- Local reports list additional injuries at the mall — eight employees and 15 customers — and the case is likely to prompt scrutiny of post-quake inspection and building-safety procedures as authorities continue their response.