Explosion in Japan: Over 40 People Injured in Sapporo Restaurant Blast

More than 40 people have been injured in an explosion at a restaurant in the city of Sapporo, in northern Japan, officials said.

Police said that 40 people suffered minor injuries in the Dec. 16 blast, according to the Independent, and one victim was in serious condition.

The injured were being treated at area hospitals, according to Fox News.

The blast happened in the Toyohira district of Sapporo, the capital of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, at about 8.30 p.m. local time on Sunday.

Authorities have not released any information on the possible cause of the explosion.

The blast was powerful enough to cause a building to collapse.

The explosion happened in an area with residential and dining establishments, leaving nearby streets covered in debris, according to Kyodo News.

Footage posted on social media showed fire crews battling flames, with dark smoke billowing.

Police officers were keeping people from approaching the damaged building out of fear of additional blasts, the Japan Times reported.

“I heard a ‘bang,’ which sounded like thunder, and my condo was shaken,” a man who lives nearby told the news service.

Firefighters have cordoned off the area amid fears of further explosions.

Another clerk at a nearby restaurant told Japanese broadcaster NHK there was a “tremendous sound.”

“The explosion broke the window glass of the shop where I work,” the clerk said. “It seems there are many injured people on site.”

According to NHK, the blast took place at an Izakaya restaurant, a type of informal Japanese pub.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.