YAMAGUCHI, Feb 20 (Bernama-Jiji Press) – A fire that broke out at a Buddhist temple and two nearby buildings in the city of Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, in the early hours of Friday resulted in the deaths of five people, Jiji Press reported, citing local police and fire authorities.
At around 2.25 am, a neighbour of Shorinji Temple in the Toyoura-cho Kawatana district alerted authorities after noticing flames and smoke.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze about three hours later, but five bodies were discovered in the ruins.
According to the Shimonoseki Fire Department, a woman made an emergency call seeking help a few minutes before the neighbour’s report.
Yamaguchi prefectural police are investigating the cause of the fire and working to confirm the identities of the victims.
Five individuals believed to be residents -- an 89-year-old man, a man in his 50s, a woman in her 40s, a boy in his 10s and a girl under the age of 10 -- remain unaccounted for.
-- BERNAMA-JIJI PRESS
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