JAPAN. Tokyo: A suspected gas explosion at a pub in a building in Tokyo’s Shimbashi neighbourhood on Monday resulted in a fire and the injuries of four persons, as well as the destruction of the immediate surroundings. According to officials, the explosion blew smoke and smashed glass.
After a witness called the police in a crisis at around 3:15 p.m., fire engines arrived at the location, which was located in a neighbourhood with lots of restaurants and offices. According to authorities, three of the four injured victims, including the bar’s owner, are thought to be gravely hurt.
Police believe a gas leak occurred due to a higher-than-usual gas concentration in a second-floor bar. The owner of the bar reported smelling gas or sewage in the smoking area and experiencing an explosion when using a lighter to light a cigarette.
There were no customers inside because the store had not yet opened. The Tokyo Fire Department claims that the fire has almost completely been put out.
Along with the company owner, two men in their 50s and 70s who were passing by the scene, as well as a lady in her 50s who worked at the bar and was there at the time, suffered injuries. The two men looked to have been hurt by glass fragments that fell on them.
The manager of a pub directly across from the incident described the incident to the media reporters. He heard “a tremendous explosion” after the tragedy shook the crowded neighbourhood. He claimed that he could see paper and glass everywhere, the glass had been blown off the second floor of the building, and the fire had begun five to ten minutes after the explosion.
A 26-year-old worker at a Japanese-style bar told the reporters about a gas explosion near JR Shimbashi Station train station. He was terrified and believed a car had ploughed into the building.
Police have roped off the area and advised onlookers to keep a safe distance of 30 meters from the suspected gas leak.
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