At least 27 people are feared dead in a fire that broke out in a building in a shopping district in the western Japanese city of Osaka, fire department officials said on Friday.

Osaka city fire department official Akira Kishimoto said the fire broke out on the fourth floor of the building located in a busy business area near the Kitashinchi train station.

Police said they were investigating the cause of the fire for suspected arson.

The blaze affected 28 people, 27 of whom were found in a state of cardiac arrest, Kishimoto said. At least 23 people have been taken to nearby hospitals, he added.

Local media footage showed dozens of firefighters outside the building, with the charred interior of the fourth floor being quite visible through broken windows.