NIIGATA: A fire broke out at a confectionery plant in the central Japan prefecture of Niigata on Friday night, leaving at least five people dead.

Four female part-time workers in their 60s and 70s were confirmed dead after being taken to hospital, while an unidentified body was found in a factory building.

Two male employees in their 20s cannot be reached. A woman in her 50s was also taken to hospital after inhaling smoke but is conscious, according to informed sources.

The fire occurred at a factory of Sanko Seika Co. in Murakami at around 11:50 p.m. (2:50 p.m. GMT) and was put out at around 11:10 a.m. on Saturday, according to the Niigata prefectural police department.

Around 30 people were working at the factory when the fire broke out.

The company is famous for its confectionery snacks made from rice, including “Yuki no Yado” rice crackers.

The factory, which covers around 77,000 square meters of land, is located around one kilometer north of Hirakida Station on the Uetsu Line of East Japan Railway Co., or JR East.

JIJI Press