Dozens feared dead in Japan building fire

Twenty-seven people are feared dead after a blaze at a building in Japan's Osaka city.

Public broadcaster NHK and other local media outlets, citing the fire department, said that 27 people were in "cardio-respiratory arrest" after the blaze in a commercial district on Friday, which was extinguished after half an hour.

The fire broke out on the fourth or fifth floor of an eight-story building in a shopping and entertainment area, NHK said.

The charred interior of the fourth floor, which housed a clinic that provided mental health services and general medical care, was visible through broken and blackened windows.

An Osaka fire department official said that 27 of the 28 people injured in the blaze showed no signs of life. In Japan, only a doctor can officially certify someone dead.

"The fire was detected at 10:18 am (01:18 GMT) on the fourth floor," they said. "As of noon, 70 fire engines are at the scene."

Japanese media said a man in his 50s or 60s had allegedly dispersed a liquid to start the blaze.

An Osaka police spokesperson told AFP that officers were investigating the cause of the fire.