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A fire broke out at an elementary school in Tokyo on Friday, injuring at least 10 people. The blaze erupted on Friday morning around 11:00 a.m. local time (02:00 a.m. GMT) on the fourth floor of the Takinogawa No. 3 Elementary School, situated in the northern ward of Kita.
Japanese media reports indicate that nearly 300 children and staff members were evacuated safely.
Thick black smoke poured from the upper-floor windows after the fire reportedly started near a music room.
The Tokyo Fire Department deployed dozens of fire engines to the scene, where emergency crews immediately launched efforts to fully extinguish the flames.
An AFP journalist observed helicopters flying overhead while anxious parents rushed to the location to collect their children.
According to reports from public broadcaster NHK and the daily Mainichi Shimbun, approximately 300 students and school personnel were evacuated or rescued from the four-story building.
One witness described seeing children escape out of windows to a concrete ledge below before fire crews brought them down safely using ladders.
A sixth-grade student recounted that her class, positioned two rooms away from the music room, suddenly smelled smoke. "We thought maybe someone was cooking ... Then the siren went off," she said.
She explained how they ran down the stairs while covering their mouths with handkerchiefs to evacuate to the schoolyard.
"Then we saw the music room already burning with flames. There is a multi-purpose room next to it, and we heard a bang from around the area between the multi-purpose room and the music room. It was scary, and a lot of kids were crying," the student added.
Television footage showed dozens of firefighters spraying water from a playing field toward the heavy plumes of smoke to bring the flames under control.
While initial assessments indicated fewer casualties, final media updates confirmed that 10 people sustained injuries. Officials reported that a teacher was among the injured, and several children suffered from smoke inhalation during the incident.
All injured individuals were transported to the hospital for treatment.
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