Dozens of people are feared dead in a fire that ripped through an eight-story building in Osaka, Japan that houses an internal medicine clinic, officials said Friday.
Police were investigating if arson was to blame for the blaze in the building in the shopping and entertainment area of Kitashinchi as witnesses saw a man carrying a paper bag that was leaking an unidentified liquid, according to media reports.
Authorities were seeking the potential suspect, but no arrests were immediately reported.
Osaka city fire department official Akira Kishimoto said 27 people were taken to nearby hospitals in cardiac arrest.
Four of them were pronounced dead, NHK national television and other media reported.
Many of the victims are believed to be visitors at the clinic on the fourth floor, fire department officials said.
The building also houses other businesses, including an English language school.
About 70 fire engines responded to the blaze that was extinguished in about 30 minutes, officials said.
With Post wires
The fire started on the fourth floor of an eight-story building in the shopping and entertainment, a fire department official claimed. AP
The cause of the fire was not immediately known, as Osaka police said they were investigating a possible case of arson or an accident. REUTERS
NHK quoted a witness saying she heard a woman’s voice coming from the fourth floor, as another witness told TV Asahi he saw orange flames coming out of windows. Kyodo News via Getty Images