Woman who evacuated Kumamoto mall returned on company orders, died in explosion

A woman who died in the explosion at Aeon Mall Kumamoto following a powerful earthquake in Japan had initially evacuated the building safely, only to return to her store on company orders — and lose her life minutes later. As details emerged that she had been the sole breadwinner for her family, public outrage over the company's response has grown sharply.

According to Japanese media including NHK, the family of Otake Kurumi, a 22-year-old employee at a general goods store inside the mall, said Saturday that she "had evacuated once after the earthquake struck, but went back in on company orders and died." "It is heartbreaking," they said.

According to the family, Otake joined the store four years ago after graduating from high school and had been working at the Aeon Mall Kumamoto location since last month.

She was on duty when the strong earthquake struck on Tuesday. She initially fled outside, where she happened to run into a cousin and an aunt. Despite their pleas to stay, she told them the company had instructed her to put the day's sales into the safe and that she had to return to the store — and went back inside with a colleague.

About five minutes after she returned, a massive explosion tore through the building. Japanese media reported that gas leaking from pipelines connected to the mall's restaurant area, which had been damaged by the earthquake, was believed to have ignited.

Her family rushed to the scene after checking her phone's location data and waited anxiously for news. Otake and the colleague who had gone back with her were found dead near the store in the early hours of the following morning. The bodies were so severely damaged that DNA testing was required to confirm their identities.

"She played volleyball in middle and high school and was a bright, hardworking child," the family said. "We are devastated by her loss." They added that it was "heartbreaking" that she had escaped once only to die after going back on company orders, and said they hoped the full truth of what happened that day would come to light.

Otake was the eldest of three siblings and had in effect been supporting her family since her father died three years ago. She had been eagerly looking forward to an upcoming concert by a male idol group she loved, and was known among those around her for her diligent and dependable nature.

A relative, fighting back tears, said: "She was bright, sincere and threw herself into everything she did. We never imagined something like this would happen — she got out once. She was such a gentle, responsible person that she must have felt she simply had to go back. I am so furious."

The explosion at Aeon Mall Kumamoto occurred shortly after a powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, killing seven people and injuring five. NHK and the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that police concluded their search and rescue operations after multiple sweeps of the building confirmed no additional missing or unaccounted-for persons.

The disaster has sparked a broader debate in Japan over whether workplaces issued appropriate safety instructions in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. Police are expected to investigate not only the cause of the explosion but also whether the evacuation process and the company's directives at the time were appropriate, based on statements from those involved.