Three dead in Tokyo spa explosion.

[Vic_Rattlehead]

Three people died and at least three others were injured in a powerful explosion at a popular women-only bathhouse in central Tokyo, police say.
The cause of the blast was not immediately clear, although initial reports blamed a faulty boiler in an annex to the spa's main building.

Only the metal frame of the annex building was still standing following the blast.

Rescue teams dug through the rubble to find people trapped beneath.

Debris had been blown into the streets, and neighbouring buildings were reported to have been damaged.

"When it exploded, the ground started shaking and it was amazing that I could keep standing," witness Masami Hanahara told Reuters news agency.

"Rubble flew everywhere. I saw two people under the rubble."

A rescuer at the site was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying that it was not yet clear exactly where the blast had happened.

"We cannot tell because the floors of the building have completely collapsed," he said.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6766323.stm

Christ! I think that's one of the last things I wanna hear before going to Japan! Spa. :( Odd question, but is this common? :S

[SlickWilly440]

The spa facility in Shibuya is pictured from the air after the explosion on Tuesday.

Underground methane gas that flowed into a Tokyo spa facility may have built up in the structure and caught fire, triggering an explosion that killed three people and injured three others on Tuesday, a researcher said.

"Methane gas that separated from the hot spa water may have accumulated inside the building and was ignited," said Yuji Ogata, a senior researcher at the semi-governmental Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).

"At coal mines, it's prohibited to use cigarette lighters, and only machines that don't cause electric sparks are used. There is a high possibility that something that could ignite gas was inside the building," he said.

A natural gas developer in Chiba Prefecture said a natural gas field lies under the ground of the southern Kanto area, and that 99 percent of the gas reserve is methane.

The density of methane varies depending on the area, but some methane is extracted when hot spring water is pumped up.

There is a slim possibility for methane to catch fire inside buildings that are well ventilated, experts said, noting that methane gas cannot be ignited unless its density reaches a certain level.

At Shiespa in Shibuya-ku where the deadly explosion occurred, hot spa water is pumped up from a spring that is about 300 meters below the ground, and underground gas is separated from the water by a device and emitted outside.

Since methane is odorless, workers at the spa facility were unaware that the building was filled with the gas, leading to the accident, experts suspect.

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20070620p2a00m0na012000c.html

This is the update.

[mawande]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6766323.stm

Christ! I think that's one of the last things I wanna hear before going to Japan! Spa. :( Odd question, but is this common? :S

Which I mentioned in the "Insensitive, or just Japanese?" thread. NO, IT'S NOT COMMON!!!! It's a completely unexpected development as far as the newspapers can tell so far. Sheesh.

"Excuse me, I read about a train plowing into a herd of cattle in Texas. Does this happen often?"

[RandomPasserby]

Do you dress up as women more often or why are you concerned about women only-spas blowing up?

[andrewt]

Which I mentioned in the "Insensitive, or just Japanese?" thread. NO, IT'S NOT COMMON!!!! It's a completely unexpected development as far as the newspapers can tell so far. Sheesh.

"Excuse me, I read about a train plowing into a herd of cattle in Texas. Does this happen often?"
yeeeeup. happens all de taaaam. :hat:
hahaha

[aargon]

BANG!
________
R90 (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/BMW_R90)

[EIJI]

I saw the explosion from my office.
I thought that it was thunder first.

[Vic_Rattlehead]

Which I mentioned in the "Insensitive, or just Japanese?" thread. NO, IT'S NOT COMMON!!!! It's a completely unexpected development as far as the newspapers can tell so far. Sheesh.

"Excuse me, I read about a train plowing into a herd of cattle in Texas. Does this happen often?"

BWAHAHA! I did clarify my question was odd! :D I was going to edit my silly question out, but I found it qute funny, so I kept it up!

[Mechs]

Damn. I would never expect a spa to blow up.

RIP to the dead.

[Vic_Rattlehead]

Damn. I would never expect a spa to blow up.

RIP to the dead.

Zactly! If my bath exploded with me in; I'd be P'doff!

Well, I'd be dead, but I'd be a P'doff shocked ghost!
I think it was the general randomness of a Spa exploding that morphed me into silly question mode! :P