Japan: 11 injured after fire erupts at elementary school in Tokyo

Tokyo, June 19 (IANS) As many as 11 people, including eight children, were injured after a fire erupted at an elementary school in Japan’s Tokyo on Friday, local media reported citing authorities.

Majority of the injured suffered smoke inhalation at the school in Kita Ward while two students broke their arms and a female teacher fractured her pelvis, authorities said. The fire incident was reported at around 11 am (local time), according to the local fire department.

The fire erupted in a storage room next to the music classroom of the school building and the blaze was contained by around 1:45 pm (local time), Japan-based Kyodo News reported.

No sprinkler system was installed in the room where the fire broke out. Classes were being conducted when the fire erupted. Fifth class students, including eight, who were taken to the hospital were in the music classroom while firefighters rescued three students and a female teacher.

The authorities said all students were evacuated to the schoolyard, Kyodo News reported. An 11-year-old boy who was taking a class when the fire erupted said, “We called out ‘Calm down’ with teachers, but it was very scary.”

Earlier in February, five people were killed after a fire erupted at a temple in Yamaguchi prefecture of Japan.

Local fire authorities received an emergency call, which reported that fire had erupted at a two-storey wooden temple in Shimonoseki, which has a residential area connected to it, Xinhua News Agency had reported, citing public broadcaster NHK.

Three buildings, including the temple’s main hall and residential quarters were destroyed in the fire. The bodies of five people were found at the site of the incident.

Local police and fire departments have launched an investigation to find the cause of the fire.

In January, two people were killed after a fire erupted at a house in Niigata City of Japan’s Niigata Prefecture, according to local authorities. The house where the fire erupted was destroyed and the flames had spread to several surrounding houses. Some rail services were disrupted for sometime as thick smoke also drifted toward a nearby train station.

–IANS

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