One man was confirmed dead and 18 others were injured in an explosion apparently triggered by a gas leak Thursday morning at a restaurant in Fukushima Prefecture, police and firefighters said.
The explosion occurred at the shabu-shabu hot pot chain eatery just before 9 a.m. in an area with homes and restaurants in the city of Koriyama, they said.
Hiroshi Furukawa, 50, was found dead at the blast site. Furukawa had been working for the firm responsible for the renovation work inside the Shabu Shabu Onyasai Koriyama Shin-sakuradori restaurant and was the on-site supervisor.