27 feared dead in building fire in Osaka, Japan

At least 27 people are feared to have died on Thursday after a fire broke out in a building located in central Osaka, Japan.

According to Japanese news agency Kyodo News, the Osaka Municipal Fire Department received notice of the fire at around 10:20 a.m. local time, and by 10:45 the fire was almost extinguished. The building is reportedly close to the Osaka railway station.

The cause of the fire is currently unclear, but police are investigating the fire as a suspected case of arson, Kyodo News reported.

One witness told the news organization that they saw fire coming out of the fourth floor of the building.

“A woman was waving her hand from the window on the sixth floor and seeking help,” the witness said.

A nearby restaurant worker said, “I saw smoke coming out and there were a lot of fire trucks and ambulances. People were being rescued by a ladder truck. At one point, there was a power outage in the surrounding area.”

17日午前、大阪・北区の繁華街のビルで火事があり、火はおよそ30分でほぼ消し止められましたが、消防によりますと多数のけが人が出ているという情報があり、救助活動を続けています。https://t.co/LYn1CyLAuY#nhk_video pic.twitter.com/sgfujWDLlj

— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) December 17, 2021

Akira Kishimoto, an Osaka city fire official, said the building is located in the shopping and entertainment area of Kitashinchi, The Associated Press reported. He confirmed that the fire began on the fourth floor.

According to the fire official, 27 people were found in a state of cardiac arrest and 23 were taken to local hospitals. People who were on other floors of the eight-story building were reportedly evacuated but are not believed to have been injured.

Officials stated that 70 fire engines were mobilized in total to fight the blaze.