A fire has destroyed an historic Japanese castle built 600 years ago.
Shuri Castle, a 14th century World Heritage site in Okinawa, has been ravaged by the blaze, which was still burning early this morning.
A popular tourist attraction, the wooden structure was constructed as the royal castle of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Dramatic pictures show flames tearing through the complex, which was in the middle of its annual mid-autumn festival.
It had been scheduled to be included as a stop on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic torch relay route.
Emergency responders received the first call about the fire at around 2:47am (5.47pm GMT), public broadcaster NHK said.
According to Mail Online, Ryo Kochi, a spokesman with the Okinawa prefectural police, said: "The cause of the fire has not been determined yet but a security company alarm went off at around 2.30am in the morning."
Located on a hilltop overlooking the city of Naha and enclosed by curved stone walls, the castle and its surrounding structures were painted a vivid red, and recognisable by their sloped tiled roofs.
It has been destroyed and rebuilt after many fires - most recently in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.
The Japanese dug in around the castle and mounted a fierce defence against US troops.
After World War II, the castle served as a campus for Okinawa's largest public university until the mid 1970s.
Following a restoration, the castle re-opened as a national park in 1992.
It was designated a World Heritage site in 2000.
In addition to the main hall, the north and south halls have been destroyed, NHK said.
No-one has been injured, reports say.
