Officials investigate the explosion in Japan

OSAKA - Local police and fire department continue Friday to investigate explosions occurred the previous night at a fireworks festival site in Fukuchiyama City in Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan, which left 59 people injured, local officials said.

According to Fukuchiyama Fire Department, at least two blasts occurred at around 7:30 pm, local time on Thursday, shortly before the start of the festival held on the banks of the Yura River in the city.

A spokesperson for the fire department told Xinhua that its stand-by crew instantly extinguished the fire after the explosions, but its rescue teams shifted a total of 59 injured visitors, including 19 seriously-burned, to the central hospital in the city and some other medical institutions in neighboring areas.

The daily Asahi Shimbun also reported on Friday that a gasoline- powered generator and propane gas cylinders used by stalls at the event site may have exploded, adding that many visitors noticed a strong oil smell around the stalls which were also damaged.

The spokesperson added that a joint police and fire department investigation into the cause of explosion has been carried out since Friday morning.