44 killed in fire in Tokyo nightclub

TOKYO, SEPT. 1. More than 150 investigators began a probe into the devastating fire in a crowded Tokyo nightlife district that killed 44 persons early today.

Authorities said they were focussing on a possible gas leak or an arson attack in the narrow building, located in the popular nightclub area of Shinjuku in central Tokyo. Fire experts interviewed on Japanese media said the narrow building, typical of thousands in Japanese cities, had only one small staircase illegally crowded with lockers. Windows meant to provide emergency exits in case of fire were covered by signs advertising the Mah Jong gambling parlour and hostess bar where most of the victims died.

The explosion ripped a large hole in the wall of the building and fire gutted the third and fourth floors, causing panic in the narrow, crowded streets in the Shinjuku district, popular for late night drinking and sleazy entertainment. It was the worst such tragedy to strike Japan in more than 20 years. ``I didn't hear anything at first but then saw a man fall from the third floor, then smoke billowed out,'' a man at a nearby restaurant told Reuters.

Fire officials said they had found a broken gas pipe near the apparent site of the explosion and were trying to find out if a gas leak had caused the blast. Police officials said they were looking into all possible causes of the fire, including arson, but added that there has been no evidence so far that it was deliberate. They said a joint team of fire and police officials totalling 150 officers were involved in the investigation.

As the scope of the tragedy became clear, attention focussed on the reason for such a high death toll in a country with strict fire codes because of the devastating blazes that have accompanied major earthquakes. Fire officials said the building had only one inside stairway and the fire doors did not shut properly. ``If the emergency fire hatches had operated properly, it would not have been this bad,'' a fire official told a news conference. The presence of lockers on the staircase between the two floors made the firefighters' rescue operation difficult, the official said. ``The heat and the smoke were just too great. It was hot and cramped,'' he added.

The second and third floors of the four-storey building were not equipped with emergency ladders, in violation of fire laws, officials said. The NHK television network said fire investigators had inspected the building two years ago and found numerous safety code violations that had not been corrected. Police said 32 of the dead were men and 12 were women. Twenty- eight of the dead were in the fourth floor bar, which featured hostesses dressed in high school uniforms. Three men who jumped from the blazing building were injured but were expected to survive.

Police said the blast came from a third-floor parlour providing Mah Jong games, a popular gambling pastime in Asia. The parlour, which occupied the whole 80 sq.m. floor, had 17 tables and a kitchen in the back. Authorities said the victims were taken to 22 nearby hospitals, but doctors declared most dead on arrival. Doctors said it was difficult to identify the bodies as many of them were badly scorched and did not carry identification.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Junichiro Koizumi expressed profound sorrow at the toll. ``I want the parties concerned to thoroughly investigate the cause,'' he said. The area, known as Kabukicho, is popular for its bars, restaurants and cinemas, but its side streets are packed with small establishments, often involved in the sex business and with ties to Japanese organised crime. It is regarded as one of the most dangerous districts in generally crime-free Japan.

- Reuters

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : U.K. plans early vote on euro?
Next     : 'Naipaul's rants self-promotion'