Building Explosion in Tokyo's Shimbashi District Injures Four

TEMPO.CO, Tokyo - Four people were injured in an explosion that ripped through a building in Tokyo's Shimbashi district on Monday afternoon, July 3. Footages showed flames through the windows of the shattered second floor of the building, but the fire was soon contained, Japanese media said.

Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported that three of the four people suffered serious injuries, but all were conscious. There was no clear, immediate information about what caused the blast, but witnesses said they had smelled gas before the explosion.

"I had just arrived at work and was making preparations when there was a really loud explosion," said Shinobu Nakagawa, a 26-year-old worker of a restaurant on the first floor of the building.

He said that furniture and glass were scattered everywhere, "and when I looked up, smoke was rising."

The explosion happened in a building located in an area near JR Shimbashi Station, on a street with plenty of bars and restaurants popular among office workers.

REUTERS

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