Images from the scene show large flames and plumes of smoke rising in the night air after the blast in the northern city of Sapporo

TOKYO, Japan – A powerful blast ripped through a restaurant in northern Japan late Sunday, December 16, injuring 42 people and starting fires that took hours to bring under control and leading several neighboring buildings to collapse, officials and reports said. Fires broke out following the incident in the northern city of Sapporo, Kyodo news agency said, and images from the scene showed large flames and plumes of smoke rising in the night air. The cause of the explosion, which occurred at a two-story restaurant in Sapporo’s Toyohira district, is under investigation, police said, adding that they had no further details. Gas pipes in the buildings were confirmed to be damaged after the explosion. Among the injured, a male employee of the real estate agency was said to in critical condition

Tokyo: At least 42 people were injured in an explosion near a pub in Japan's Sapporo city, police said. Several children were reportedly among those hurt in the explosion, which hit in the city's Toyohira district.
A gas blast in a restaurant in Sapporo, Japan, injures 42 people.