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dpa
Tokyo
A fire that killed 24 people in the Japanese city of Osaka on Friday is believed to have been started by a patient at a medical centre, according to local media reports.
Japanese news agency Kyodo cited police sources on Saturday as saying that police suspect a 61-year-old man of starting the lethal blaze.
The man, believed to be in a serious condition, was one of 27 victims taken to hospital after the fire tore through a clinic on the fourth floor of the high-rise building.
It was the worst fire in Japan since an arson attack in 2019 on a famous anime film studio in the ancient imperial city of Kyoto, killing 36. Many of the victims are believed to have died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
According to witnesses in the clinic, the suspect may have spilled a liquid - possibly oil or petrol - from a bag and then set it on fire.
On Saturday, police officers and firefighters inspected the eight-story building on a busy street in Osaka, where the fire reportedly broke out in the psychiatric treatment clinic on the fourth floor and raged over an area of around 25 square meters.
They also visited the residence of the suspect, about 3 kilometres away from the site of Friday’s fire, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.
Investigators reportedly discovered the site of a previous fire there and say it could not have been set more than a half hour before the larger blaze.
They have also discovered the suspect’s patient identification card for the clinic.
The police are investigating the incident as a case of suspected murder and arson, Kyodo reported.
Tokyo
A fire that killed 24 people in the Japanese city of Osaka on Friday is believed to have been started by a patient at a medical centre, according to local media reports.
Japanese news agency Kyodo cited police sources on Saturday as saying that police suspect a 61-year-old man of starting the lethal blaze.
The man, believed to be in a serious condition, was one of 27 victims taken to hospital after the fire tore through a clinic on the fourth floor of the high-rise building.
It was the worst fire in Japan since an arson attack in 2019 on a famous anime film studio in the ancient imperial city of Kyoto, killing 36. Many of the victims are believed to have died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
According to witnesses in the clinic, the suspect may have spilled a liquid - possibly oil or petrol - from a bag and then set it on fire.
On Saturday, police officers and firefighters inspected the eight-story building on a busy street in Osaka, where the fire reportedly broke out in the psychiatric treatment clinic on the fourth floor and raged over an area of around 25 square meters.
They also visited the residence of the suspect, about 3 kilometres away from the site of Friday’s fire, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.
Investigators reportedly discovered the site of a previous fire there and say it could not have been set more than a half hour before the larger blaze.
They have also discovered the suspect’s patient identification card for the clinic.
The police are investigating the incident as a case of suspected murder and arson, Kyodo reported.
