Tokyo, Dec 17: Twenty-seven people are feared dead after a fire broke out in a building in Osaka in western Japan, fire department officials said Friday.

The fire started on the fourth floor of an eight-story building in a shopping and entertainment area of Kitashinchi, Osaka city fire department official Akira Kishimoto said.

Twenty-eight people were affected, 27 of whom were found in a state of cardiac arrest, Kishimoto said. So far 23 people have been taken to nearby hospitals, he said.

The building houses an internal medicine clinic, an English language school and other businesses, NHK national television said.

The cause of the fire and other details were not immediately known. NHK said Osaka police are investigating the case as a possible arson.

People on other floors of the building were believed to have been evacuated, Kishimoto said.

NHK footage showed dozens of fire engines and police vehicles on the street near the building, with onlookers watching the development from across the street.

In all, 70 fire engines were mobilized to fight the fire, which was mostly extinguished within about 30 minutes of an emergency call, officials said.

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Bengaluru (PTI): Four people, including three from other states, were arrested for allegedly selling banned narcotic substances in the city, police said on Tuesday.

With their arrests, police claimed to have seized 37. 400 kg ganja, 33 grams of hydro ganja and 23.19 grams of MDMA estimated to be worth Rs 48.24 lakh in the black market.

The action was taken following a tip-off on different dates that banned narcotic substances were being sold in the jurisdiction of the Mahadevapura, K G Halli and Malleswaram police stations, officials said.

During interrogation, the accused confessed that they had procured ganja, hydro ganja and MDMA from unidentified persons from other states with the intention of earning quick money and were selling the substances to the public and college students, a senior police officer said.

Efforts are underway to trace the persons from other states who supplied the narcotic substances to the accused, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.