江戸川えどがわ区くの爆発ばくはつ事故じこ ガスボンベの使用しよう期限きげん「1964年ねん」と刻印こくいん

On the 27th, at a construction site in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, where a large-scale explosion occurred, it was learned from interviews with investigators that the underground gas cylinder which caused the accident was stamped with an expiration date of November 1964, about 60 years ago.

The site was originally a paved parking lot, and the Metropolitan Police Department is continuing to investigate how the gas cylinders came to be buried underground.

On the 27th, during pile-driving work on the foundation at a new housing construction site in Higashi-Kasai, Edogawa Ward, a sudden explosion occurred, resulting in minor injuries to 10 people and damage such as broken windows and walls to 38 nearby houses and stores.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, it is possible that a cylinder containing a flammable gas called acetylene gas, which was buried 50 to 60 centimeters underground, was damaged during construction, causing the gas to leak out and ignite due to a spark created when heavy machinery rubbed against the cylinder.

Furthermore, a detailed examination of the gas cylinder collected during the on-site inspection on the 28th has newly revealed through interviews with investigators that it was stamped with an expiration date of November 1964, 61 years ago.

The site had been used as a parking lot for at least 40 years, and the Metropolitan Police Department believes that the gas cylinders were buried before the land was paved, even before the parking lot was created.

During the on-site investigation on the 28th, items such as juice bottles were also found underground. The Metropolitan Police Department is continuing to investigate the cause of the explosion as well as the circumstances under which the canisters were buried.