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Police in Tokyo said Sunday that four people were injured after a gas canister at a food stall exploded at a festival in Koto Ward on Saturday night.
According to police, the incident occurred at around 7 p.m. at Kameido Tenjin shrine. Fuji TV quoted police as saying that a gas canister being used to cook sausages on a portable stove exploded, injuring four people ranging in age from 17 to 70. The four were taken to hospital to be treated for burns and were in a stable condition on Sunday, police said.
About 100 people were in the area at the time, police said.
Throughout the summer, police have been cautioning food vendors at festivals to be careful in handling gas canisters.
© Japan Today
9 Comments
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Disillusioned
Police have been 'cautioning' vendors? How about doing your job and dishing out some fines and revoking vendor licenses?
SauloJpn
These matsuris need more regulating and unannounced inspections. Also sellers should be criminally prosecuted of any bodily or material harm arisen by their negligence.
mabotofu
cautioning followed by stern warning!
sighclops
Seriously, as sad as this is, it was bound to happen at some point. Luckily no one was killed!
There is zero regulation in this area, with basically anyone able to sell whatever the hell they want. Just last weekend I was at the Edogawa fireworks and people were selling food and other assorted items outside their homes. Have they had tthe necessary food handling & safety training? One group was even selling chicken pieces... in 35 deg heat! Let's face it, most of these are run by the local Yaks who couldn't give a damn about safety or standards.
It's absolutely unacceptable.
rickyvee
these food stalls need to be regulated. it seems like any oyaji or obasan can open one, and they have no idea how to handle kerosene canisters. one guy blew up his canister last year and killed several people because he was adding kersone while the machine was still running!
ribstick
I skip these festivals anyway - seen one, seen em all, except for the exploding canister thing.
gogogo
The Yakuza (who run these stands) need to get their stuff fixed and police involved!
lesenfant
last year, people died close to where i live at a fireworks festival too. no more matsuris for me. stronger rules need to be in place at these things.
Crush Them
This sounds like a small propane canister like you can buy at the store, which are a little longer than a drink can but about the same thickness/circumference. Sounds like they let it overheat.
I think this is different from the incident last year. The incident last year was from a guy opening a nearly empty gasoline/ petrol tank on a generator as the generator was still running, and the escaping fumes exploding, or something like that. The resulting fire in that case may have made some gas/propane canisters explode, but that is not the fault of the other vendors that their stalls went up in flames.