Suspected arson attack on Japanese animation studio leaves 20+ presumed dead
Around 70 people were in the building when the nut sprayed gas all over and lit it on fire. Over 20 people are presumed dead.
A man shouted “Die!” as he sprayed a flammable liquid throughout an animation studio in Japan on Thursday and set the building alight, killing more than 20 people, authorities said.
A series of explosions triggered an inferno that swept through the three-story workspace, leaving many of its occupants unconscious and injured, emergency services said.
Footage showed smoke billowing from the complex on the outskirts of Kyoto as rescue workers rushed to the scene.
The suspect, a 41-year-old man, was in police custody and was being treated for his injuries in a hospital, officials said.
A Japanese fire official said at least 23 people were confirmed or presumed dead, the Associated Press reported. Many bodies were found on the top floor, some collapsed on the stairs leading to the roof, the report said.
Naoyuki Takao, deputy chief of the Kyoto police investigative department, said the fire had taken hold immediately after the man ignited what appeared to be gasoline.
At least 36 people were injured, about 10 of them seriously, said Kyoto City Fire Department official Takashi Miyata. About 70 people were inside the complex when the blaze erupted, he said.