TOKYO — At least 41 people were injured in an explosion on Sunday night at a restaurant in northern Japan, the police said. Television footage from the Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed the restaurant in flames, with debris scattered on the ground in Sapporo, the capital city of the northern island of Hokkaido. The cause of the explosion, which occurred at 8.30 p.m. local time, is under investigation, the police said. A witness told NHK that he had smelled gas after the sound of an explosion. The video showed gray smoke billowing from the restaurant as dozens of firefighters poured water onto the building, which was charred and nearly collapsing.

Source: New York Times December 16, 2018 16:52 UTC