Explosion in downtown Tokyo building, four reported injured

Rescuers work at the site of an apparent explosion near Shimbashi station in Tokyo, Japan July 3, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) -An apparent explosion in a downtown Tokyo building on Monday scattered debris across an intersection and sent smoke into the air, with four people reported injured, NHK national television said, without giving further details.

Footage on NHK showed flames in the shattered second floor windows of a building in the Shinbashi area of the Japanese capital, while witnesses reported smelling gas prior to hearing an explosion.

But the scale of the damage appeared limited and the fire was not spreading.

(Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Kim Coghill)