1 dead, 3 seriously injured in Japan warehouse explosion

TOKYO, Japan – One person was killed and 3 others were seriously injured after a blast hit a warehouse in Osaka on Saturday, July 6, sparking a blaze, officials said.

Television footage showed flames engulfing the facility – run by an industrial waste disposal operator – and leaving the frame of the building visible.

One person died and the 3 men were taken to hospital with severe injuries, according to a fire department spokesman.

“The fire has been brought under control,” he told Agence France-Presse, adding the cause of the fire was not immediately known.

The Asahi Shimbun newspaper said the injured were 3 of 4 employees working at the warehouse and that one body was later found at the scene.

The warehouse is located near factories and other industrial facilities standing along the Yodo River, local media said.

“We were eating dinner when there was a large noise and we felt a large shake as if there was an earthquake.” Shingo Kubode, a 46-year-old local resident, told Kyodo News. – Rappler.com