An explosion at a building in Tokyo's Shimbashi commercial district on Monday, July 3, left four people injured, Japan's state media NHK reported.
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The explosion scattered debris across the streets, shattered windows and spewed smoke into the air.
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The fire broke out in a building in a busy restaurant area around 3:20 AM. local time (0620 GMT). Shimbashi is known as a business and entertainment district in central Tokyo.
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Police rushed to the site after receiving an emergency call, local media reported.
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"The sound was deafening. It was as if something huge was dropped from the top of the building — it was an incredible bang," an eyewitness told NHK.
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He added that, "pieces of paper were scattered all over at the nearby intersection. From the way they were scattered, I immediately knew it was an explosion."
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Footage on NHK showed flames in the shattered second floor windows of a building, while some witnesses said that they smelled gas before hearing an explosion.
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"A total of 32 fire trucks are at the scene," a fire department spokesperson said.
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"Four people are injured, three of whom are conscious," he said. He added that no details were available yet on the fourth person.
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The authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
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