Two employees lost their lives in an explosion at Aeon Mall in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, following a magnitude 6.8 earthquake on July 28. The workers had been instructed by their employer, Habita, to re-enter the damaged building to secure cash, a decision the company has since deeply regretted.
Among the deceased is 22-year-old Kurumi Otake, who was asked to move money from the cash registers into a safe. Her family revealed she briefly met a relative outside the mall after the quake but returned inside at the company’s request. The identity of the other worker has not been disclosed.
Habita's sales director, Goji Yuse, publicly apologised for the instructions given, describing them as inappropriate and expressing sorrow over the loss of life. Company representatives attended Otake’s wake to offer condolences and are reviewing their response procedures.
Kurumi Otake was remembered by her family as a person with a strong sense of justice who supported her mother after her father’s passing three years earlier. Her relative lamented that had she not re-entered the mall, she would still be alive.
While most mall occupants evacuated immediately after the earthquake, some employees remained inside approximately an hour later when the explosion occurred. Otake’s mother expressed profound grief, stating, "My daughter is not coming back."
Founded in 1976, Habita operates over ten stores across several prefectures. The company is now reconsidering its emergency protocols in light of this tragedy.
