A blast near a pub in Japan's Sapporo city injured 42 people on Sunday night, while the subsequent fire caused one of the buildings to collapse.
The cause of the explosion is not known yet while NHK quoted locals as saying that there was a strong smell of gas in the vicinity after the explosion.
There have been no casualties as of now but one of the injured people is in a critical condition.
More than 20 fire engines reached the spot immediately to douse the flames as shattered glass from the windows lined the streets in the aftermath. Sho Saikoku from Sapporo Fire Department told CNN that the number of injured is expected to rise.
Investigations are ongoing into the incident.
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