At least four people were killed and four others critically injured after a fire broke out at an apartment in Japan's Kobe, The Japan Times reported on Sunday citing local authorities.
According to The Japan Times, the firefighters received the call around 1:35 am from a neighbour, stating that black smoke was coming from the first floor's window.
The police confirmed that four were dead at the scene while the other four men were taken to a hospital, said to be in their 40s to 70s, were all unconscious.
They said all eight individuals were found on the first floor of the apartment, which has about 30 rooms.
As per The Japan Times citing residents and laborers, most of the residents on the first floor were pensioners and day laborers.
A 54-year-old man who lives on the second floor woke up to the sounds of a woman who was passing by screaming that there was a fire.
"My room was completely white with smoke and I ran out," the man said. "A room on the first floor was burning bright red. I would have been in danger if I hadn't noticed."
The authorities said that of the about 300 square meters of the three-story building, 60 square meters of the first and second floors were burned. The fire was mostly extinguished after about an hour, The Japan Times reported.
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