A powerful blast has ripped through a restaurant in northern Japan, injuring 42 people and causing serious damage to neighbouring buildings.
Photo: AFP Firefighters carry on rescue works after an explosion at a restaurant in Sapporo, in the northern Hokkaido prefecture on December 16, 2018.
The explosion in Sapporo on Sunday night started fires and caused the partial collapse of some surrounding buildings.
The cause of the blast was still under investigation, police said.
One witness reportedly said he had smelled gas after the explosion.
According to a police official for the Hokkaido region despite the large number of injuries, there had been no fatalities.
The Jiji Press agency said one of those injured was seriously hurt, suffering burns to his face, but none of the victims had life-threatening wounds.
Several children were reportedly among those hurt in the explosion.
The two-story wooden building that housed the restaurant, a real estate agency and a clinic was seriously damaged, said a Sapporo fire department official.
The fire from the blast spread to neighbouring buildings, and debris blasted out by the explosion shattered the windows of nearby apartments and restaurants, according to local reports.
National broadcaster NHK said it took firefighters several hours to extinguish the flames, with dozens of vehicles mobilised to deal with the accident.
The explosion also caused a temporary black-out, with 250 buildings losing electricity, but power was later restored.
