300 children, teachers 'evacuated or rescued,' 11 hurt after fire breaks out at Tokyo school

 A fire broke out at an elementary school in downtown Tokyo on Friday, but all of about 300 students and teachers were evacuated or rescued, officials said. 

They said several people were injured while fleeing, mostly from inhaling smoke, and that the exact number of injured is being finalised. 

The Tokyo Fire Department said the fire at the Takinogawa No. 3 Elementary School broke out near a music room on the top floor of the four-storey building late Friday morning. 

Firefighters rescued one teacher and three schoolchildren out of the building with non-life-threatening injuries, the department said. 

An aerial view of firefighters and rescuers working at the site. AP

All others inside the building when the fire broke out had evacuated to a nearby park on their own and no one was left behind, officials said. 

The Kyodo News Agency said a total of 11 people were injured, including a teacher with a broken hip and two children with broken arms. 

Television footage showed black smoke billowing out of windows on the fourth floor, as firefighters combated the fire at the scene. Dozens of fire engines were deployed. The fire was extinguished later in the afternoon. 

Firefighters swing into action at the site. AFP

A 11-year-old boy told Kyodo News that he heard people shouting "Run!” when he was in an English class. He said that, even though he was frightened, he repeated his teacher’s call for students to stay calm. 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. 

Associated Press