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Kyoto Animation fire: Twelve dead after suspected arson attack | |
(30 minutes later) | |
At least 12 people have died and dozens are injured in a suspected arson attack at an animation studio in Kyoto, Japan, local emergency officials have said. | |
Local media quoted police as saying a man broke into the Kyoto Animation Co studio on Thursday morning and sprayed an unidentified liquid around. | Local media quoted police as saying a man broke into the Kyoto Animation Co studio on Thursday morning and sprayed an unidentified liquid around. |
Some 30 people still remain unaccounted for, reported broadcaster NHK. | Some 30 people still remain unaccounted for, reported broadcaster NHK. |
The suspect, who has not been named, has been detained and was taken to hospital with injuries. | The suspect, who has not been named, has been detained and was taken to hospital with injuries. |
How did the incident unfold? | |
The fire broke out at the three-storey building at around 10:30 local time (01:35 GMT) on Thursday. Rescue operations are still ongoing. | |
A Kyoto prefectural police spokesman told news agency AFP that a man "threw a liquid and set fire to it". Police also found knives at the scene, say local media. | |
NHK said the man had been heard saying "drop dead" as he set fire to the building. | NHK said the man had been heard saying "drop dead" as he set fire to the building. |
It is not clear what relationship the suspect may have had to the company. | It is not clear what relationship the suspect may have had to the company. |
Eyewitnesses described a loud explosion followed by an inferno that rapidly engulfed the building, reports the BBC's Tokyo correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes. | |
"We are trying to bring out several victims who are trapped inside the three-story building, including ones who may not be able to move by themselves," a fire department spokesman told AFP. | |
"A person with singed hair was lying down and there were bloody footprints," a 59-year-old woman living nearby told news agency Kyodo. | "A person with singed hair was lying down and there were bloody footprints," a 59-year-old woman living nearby told news agency Kyodo. |
What do we know about the studio? | |
Kyoto Animation, known as KyoAni, was founded in 1981 and has produced popular animation shows including "K-On" and "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya". | Kyoto Animation, known as KyoAni, was founded in 1981 and has produced popular animation shows including "K-On" and "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya". |
On social media, many fans have been expressing their shock and posting pictures of their favourite KyoAni shows. | On social media, many fans have been expressing their shock and posting pictures of their favourite KyoAni shows. |
A GoFundMe campaign titled "Help KyoAni Heal" has also been started, with almost $30,000 (£24,000) raised in an hour. |