Japan festival ends with a bang as fireworks barge ignites
Japanese capital of Tokyo caught ablaze, forcing five workers to jump into the sea, officials said.
Aerial footage by public broadcaster NHK on Monday night showed one of the vessels ablaze in the sea off Yokohama – a city south of Tokyo – with pink and white sparks flying in all directions.
A fireworks vessel (background, centre) burns after catching fire in Yokohama City on Monday. Photo: Jiji Press/AFP
One of the barges was carrying five workers, all of whom jumped into the sea to escape and were later rescued, the Yokohama coastguard Bureau said on Monday. The fire also spread to another barge but there were no people on board.
One worker sustained an injury, which local media reports said was minor.
Pink and white sparks fly in all directions as a barge launching fireworks catches fire on Monday. Photo: Kyodo
Organisers of the summer festival were quoted by NHK as telling investigators that they 'lost control of the fireworks on the boats', with police and the coastguard investigating the causes of the incident.
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