Search ended at mall wrecked by Japan quake blast

TOKYO: Japanese officials said on Saturday (Aug 1) they had ended rescue operations at a shopping mall devastated by an explosion following a powerful earthquake that killed at least 36 people.

A total of 12 people were pulled from the site, including seven who were confirmed dead, according to the disaster management office of the Kumamoto region, hit by the 7.1-magnitude jolt on Tuesday.

"We conducted a thorough search over the past two days in collaboration with the fire service, the Self-Defence Forces, and other regional police units", to ensure no one remained missing, a police official told a disaster management meeting on Saturday.

A spokesperson for Aeon, operators of the mall, told AFP that the seven people who died were employees of tenant stores.

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