10 people slightly injured in explosion in Tokyo

Local police said the 10 people, including construction workers and nearby residents, in their 20s to 70s complained of such symptoms as pain in the ears.

Gas leaking from an underground cylinder damaged during drilling work is believed to have been ignited by sparks, causing the explosion.

A drilling machine loaded on a truck was burned.

Windows and signboards in buildings in the vicinity were broken apparently due to the blast. Shards of glass were seen scattered on the street.

The 44-year-old manager of a supermarket close to the site said: "I heard three or four blasts. I felt the ground shaking."

"When I looked outside, a car was in flames. I tried to evacuate store workers and customers thinking I had to protect them," he said.

A neighbor in his 60s said he heard a loud bang when he was at home. "I thought it was a truck accident. There was a big shaking," he said.