3 bodies found after house fire in NE Japan's Yamagata

Three bodies were found after a fire engulfed two houses in Yamagata Prefecture, northeastern Japan, in the early hours of Friday, local media reported.



According to public broadcaster NHK, the bodies were found in one of the houses, a wooden, partially two-story structure believed to be where the fire started.



Police said three people lived in the house and that none of them had been reached. Authorities are working to determine whether the bodies are those of the three residents.



Meanwhile, no one was reported injured or unaccounted for at the other house.



Police received a report from a nearby resident around 2:30 a.m. local time that flames were coming from a building in Sagae City.



Firefighters battled the blaze, which was brought under control approximately six hours later.



The cause of the fire is under investigation.