Forty injured in explosion

SAPPORO: More than 40 people have been injured in an explosion at a restaurant in Sapporo, northern Japan.

Police said one person was in a serious condition while another 40 suffered mild injuries in the blast in the capital of Japan’s northern main island, Hokkaido.

Television footage showed the restaurant in flames. The cause of the explosion, at a restaurant in Sapporo’s Toyohira district, is being investigated.

Footage showed smoke billowing from the restaurant as firefighters hosed the building, which seemed near collapse.

One witness said he smelled gas after the sound of an explosion.