Barges carrying fireworks ablaze in Japan, five flee into sea

Two barges loaded with fireworks for a summer festival display near Tokyo caught ablaze, forcing five workers to jump into the sea, officials said.

Aerial footage by public broadcaster NHK on Monday night showed one of the vessels ablaze in the sea off Yokohama -- a city south of Tokyo -- with pink and white sparks flying in all directions.

One of the barges was carrying five workers, all of whom jumped into the sea to escape and were later rescued, the Yokohama coastguard bureau said Monday.

One worker sustained an injury, which local media reports said was minor.

Organisers of the summer festival were quoted by NHK as telling investigators that they "lost control of the fireworks on the boats", with police and the coastguard probing causes of the incident.

Fireworks are a fixture of Japan's summer, drawing crowds of festivalgoers -- from couples to friends and families -- often clad in "yukata" summer kimonos.

AFP