A 22-year-old store employee in Japan died in an explosion at a shopping mall after she had already escaped the building following a powerful earthquake. Her employer later admitted that she and another employee had been asked to go back inside to move the day’s cash into a safe. Kurumi Otake was among two employees of Habita, a general goods retailer, who returned to Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, on July 28. According to Japanese media reports, both were killed when an explosion tore through the mall minutes after they went back inside.
She had already escaped the mall
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28.
The sequence of events began when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28. The quake registered the highest level, 7, on Japan’s seismic intensity scale in parts of the prefecture, according to The Japan Times. People inside Aeon Mall Kumamoto were evacuated after the earthquake. Otake also made it out of the building and reached the parking lot.According to reports cited by the BBC and Japanese media, she then encountered relatives outside the mall. She told them that she had to return because her company had asked her to put the day’s sales money into a safe. The Japan Times reported that Otake and her female co-worker re-entered the mall at about 5:35pm. The two had initially evacuated after helping guide customers to safety. They were reportedly warned by an Aeon Mall employee near the entrance to be careful as they went back inside.
Company asked them to secure the day’s cash
The decision to send the two employees back into the damaged building was later acknowledged by Habita. According to The Japan Times, Habita sales manager Koji Yuse said he had instructed the store manager to have the two employees return to the shop and move the day’s sales proceeds from the second floor to a safe on the first floor. Yuse also said the employees had been instructed to obtain permission from the mall operator before re-entering the building.The two employees returned to the store. Around 5:50pm, an explosion occurred at the mall. The mall operator has said it believes the blast was caused by a gas leak following the earthquake. Seven people working at specialty stores in the mall were killed in the explosion, while 26 others were injured, according to reports.Otake and her colleague were among those who died.
Company apologises after Otake’s death
The company’s admission came as Otake’s family was preparing for her funeral. At her wake on August 2, Habita president Keima Ueno and sales manager Koji Yuse met her family and apologised. The company also handed over a written account of what had happened. Otake’s mother was reported to have told the company representatives that her daughter was not coming back.Yuse acknowledged that the decision to ask the employees to return had been wrong. “If I had not brought up the issue of the sales proceeds, this would never have happened,” he said, according to The Japan Times. He added that he deeply regretted not anticipating the consequences.Yuse said the instructions given at the time were inappropriate. He also acknowledged that, looking back, the sales proceeds were not worth a human life. The company has said it will investigate the circumstances surrounding the decision.
Family remembers Otake as responsible and dependable
Otake’s family has described her as a responsible young woman who took her work seriously. A relative told reporters that she had a strong sense of responsibility. He recalled meeting her at a family gathering around three months earlier, when they had been joking and laughing together. A former junior-high-school volleyball teammate also attended Otake’s funeral in Kumamoto. She remembered her as cheerful and reliable and said Otake had been a dependable team captain, according to The Japan Times.
