Scores injured in Japan restaurant explosion, cause unclear

More than 40 people have been injured in an explosion Sunday night at a Japanese restaurant in northern Japan, police say.

The explosion occurred in Sapporo, the capital city of Japan’s northern main island of Hokkaido, and caused nearby apartment buildings and houses to shake.

Police say 42 people were injured, most of them mildly, though one was in serious condition. They were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Firefighters carry on rescue works after an explosion at a restaurant in Sapporo, in the northern Hokkaido prefecture on December 16, 2018. (JIJI PRESS/ AFP)

The cause of the explosion, which occurred at a two-story restaurant in Sapporo’s Toyohira district, is under investigation, police say.

TV footage from Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed the restaurant in flames, with debris scattered on the ground.

The footage later showed gray smoke billowing from the restaurant as dozens of firefighters poured water onto the building, which was charred and nearly collapsing. Windows on an apartment building next door were broken, and cars parked outside were partially covered with debris that had fallen on them.

平岸の居酒屋がガス爆発して火災も起きました。
周辺は封鎖されてます。
平岸駅すぐ近くです。 pic.twitter.com/7zDvRXU1LQ

— yuta1109 (@yutamorichi) December 16, 2018

A witness tells NHK that he smelled gas after the sound of an explosion. The broadcaster said the district office was to set up a shelter for neighbors of the restaurant to stay overnight so they could escape the smoke.

— AP