Japan’s Shuri Castle left in smoldering ruins as inferno ravages 600yo UNESCO gem (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)
An inferno has erupted inside Japan’s Shuri Castle, completely leveling parts of the 600-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site as emergency responders struggle to contain the flames.
The castle, located in Okinawa’s provincial capital of Naha, went up in flames early Thursday morning. Its main hall and a nearby building have so far been destroyed, while another structure on the site continues to burn.
【首里城で火災】沖縄県の世界文化遺産･首里城で発生中の火災。骨組みが焼け、崩れ落ちています。現在も消火活動が続いています。 #首里城#世界文化遺産#火災#沖縄pic.twitter.com/CmQtheNwq9
— TBS NEWS (@tbs_news) October 30, 2019
People in the area were evacuated, but no injuries have yet been reported. Dramatic photos on social media show the castle’s main hall entirely engulfed in flames as its roof began to cave, shortly before collapsing altogether.
正殿の屋根の骨組みが落ちてきています。#首里城pic.twitter.com/b23WW0k8o1
— 琉球新報 (@ryukyushimpo) October 30, 2019
那覇・首里城で火災、消火活動中 正殿と北殿は全焼かhttps://t.co/ISz2ZxhIia那覇市の #首里城 の正殿付近で火災が発生し、現在も消化活動中です。正殿と北殿が全焼したとみられています。首里城跡は２０００年に世界遺産登録。住民は「私たちにとって神様みたいな存在。涙で言葉が出ない」。 pic.twitter.com/VTUTuFkWtW
— 朝日新聞デジタル編集部 (@asahicom) October 30, 2019
Aerial footage taken before and after sunrise depict the progress of the fire as it tore through the site.
【動画】沖縄 首里城の火災、上空からの映像です。#首里城pic.twitter.com/6vnir8y6K2
— WORLD TRAX (@trax_world) October 30, 2019
By daybreak, the conflagration appears to have been largely contained, though smaller fires could still be seen smoldering in the wreckage.
News Update : Latest Ariel footage shows the devastation caused by the fire at Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa , Japan #首里城#Japanpic.twitter.com/W9GOwY2L8h
— Shark NewsWires (@SharkNewsWires) October 30, 2019
The Shuri compound is made up of five separate structures, the main hall – also known as the “Seiden” – being the largest and most elaborately decorated. The extent of the damage to the other structures is still unclear.
Though the exact date of its construction remains a mystery, the Shuri Castle has been in use since at least the 14th century, serving as the royal court and seat of government for the Ryukyu Kingdom for some 450 years. The complex was nearly destroyed during World War II after three days of intense shelling by a US warship, but was restored in the decades after the conflict.
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