Two workers killed in blast after re-entering quake-hit Japan mall on boss' order

• Two store employees died in an explosion at an Aeon Mall in Kumamoto, Japan.
• They were asked by their employer to re-enter the building to secure cash after an earthquake.
• The company, Habita, has apologized for the incident.
• One of the deceased employees was identified as 22-year-old Kurumi Otake.

Two store employees died in an explosion at an Aeon Mall in Kumamoto, Japan, after being asked by their employer to re-enter the building to secure cash following a powerful earthquake. The magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Kumamoto prefecture on July 28 resulted in 38 fatalities, seven of whom were at the Aeon Mall.

Habita, the employer of the general goods store within the mall, has apologized for the incident. Sales director Goji Yuse stated that the instructions given at the time were inappropriate. One of the deceased workers was identified as 22-year-old Kurumi Otake. Her family reported that she had told a relative she had to go back into the store to move money from the cash register to a safe, a detail confirmed by company representatives who apologized to her family.

While most people had evacuated the mall shortly after the earthquake, some employees remained inside for about an hour before the explosion occurred.