More than 20 feared dead in building fire in Osaka

By CHISATO TANAKA and MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

OSAKA, Japan (AP) — More than 20 people are feared dead after a fire broke out in a building in Osaka in western Japan, and police are investigating arson as a possible cause. The fire started on the fourth floor of an eight-story building in the major business, shopping and entertainment area. A fire official says 27 people were found in a state of cardiac arrest and one other woman was injured. She was brought down by an aerial ladder from a window on the sixth floor. Later Friday, media reported 19 people were pronounced dead and three others were resuscitated. Media reports say police are searching for a man who witnesses saw carrying a paper bag from which an unidentified liquid was dripping.