OSAKA (TR) – Five people were injured following an explosion in the Kita Shinchi entertainment district on Thursday night, reports NHK (Jan. 7).
At approximately 7:40 p.m., emergency services received a call about a blast that ripped through a Japanese restaurant located on the first floor of a building in the Sonezakishinchi area.
According to the Tenma Police Station, of the 18 people inside the premises at the time, three employees, including a 37-year-old male manager, and two female customers were transported to a nearby hospital with injuries, such as facial burns.
Thursday was the shop’s opening day. Flowers and shards of glass could be seen scattered at the entrance after the blast.
Based on eyewitness accounts, it is believed that the explosion originated in the kitchen area. A 64-year-old male employee told the Mainichi Shimbun (Jan. 7) that a fire erupted after the explosion. “A male manager had his face burned while another male staff member had blood coming from his eyebrow area,” the employee is quoted.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation, with a compressed gas cylinder used for a stove as a primary focus.
