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CatastropheJapan

Japan: 19 killed in Osaka building fire — reports

December 17, 2021

At least 19 have died after suffering a cardiac arrest from a fire that broke out in a building in the western Japanese city, reported Japan's public broadcaster NHK. Police are investigating arson as a possible cause.

https://p.dw.com/p/44P2k
Firefighters stand on a floor at a building where a fire broke out in Osaka
The fire broke out on the fourth floor of a buildingImage: Kyodo News/AP Photo/picture alliance

At least 19 people have died after a fire broke out in a building in a shopping district in the western Japanese city of Osaka, local media reported on Friday citing the emergency services.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK ealier reported that 28 people were affected by the fire and 27 of them had been found in a state of cardiac arrest — a phrase commonly used in Japanese media for people whose deaths are yet to be confirmed but are feared dead. Osaka city fire department official Akira Kishimoto said at least 23 of them had been taken to nearby hospitals.

Osaka's Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura offered condolences to those who died in the fire, saying he was praying "so that as many lives as possible can be saved."

Kishimoto said the fire broke out on the fourth floor of the building located in a busy business area near the Kitashinchi train station. 

Police carry out investigation into incident

Police said they were investigating arson as a potential cause of the fire. They have not publicly confirmed reports about a possible suspect as reported by local news websites. NHK and other media outlets reported that police were looking for a man, supposedly in his 60s, who entered the building with a paper bag that had liquid leaking from it. 

Local media footage also showed dozens of firefighters outside the building, with the charred interior of the fourth floor being quite visible through broken windows. 

An aerial picture shows building where fire broke out in Osaka city
The fire broke out in the shopping and entertainment area of KitashinchiImage: The Yomiuri Shimbun/AP Images/picture alliance

The high-rise building houses several kinds of businesses, from a psychiatric clinic on the fourth floor to a beauty salon, as well as a clothes store and an English-language school.

The blaze, which broke out around 10 a.m. local time, had been extinguished within half an hour, officials told the AFP news agency.

Osaka is one of Japan's major economic hubs and among the country's most populous cities, far to the west of Tokyo and fairly close to former imperial capital Kyoto.

With its strict building standards, deadly fires are unusual in Japan. 

rm/msh (AFP, AP, dpa)