Five people were confirmed dead and one other remained missing after a fire engulfed a confectionery plant in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast late Friday, police said Saturday.
Another person was taken to a hospital after inhaling smoke, the police said, adding that dozens of workers were present at the plant in Murakami when the fire broke out.
Photo shows a confectionery plant operated by Sanko Seika Co. ablaze in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast on Feb. 12, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Oniku)(Kyodo)
The fire was brought under control about 11 hours after it started, but the search for the missing has been halted due to fears the building may collapse, they said.
Fires occurred at the plant, operated by confectionery maker Sanko Seika Co., eight times between 1988 and 2019, according to a local fire department. The company produces rice crackers among other products.
Photo taken from a Kyodo News airplane shows smoke rising from a confectionery plant operated by Sanko Seika Co. in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast on Feb. 12, 2022, following a fire at the plant the previous night (Kyodo)
