TOKYO - A man screaming `You die!` burst into an animation studio in Kyoto, doused it with a flammable liquid and set it on fire Thursday, killing 33 people in an attack that shocked anime fans across Japan and beyond.Thirty-six others were injured, some of them critically.The suspect was hurt and taken to a hospital. Police identified him only a 41-year-old man who was not a company employee. They gave no immediate details on the motive.Most of the victims were employees at Kyoto Animation, which does work on feature films and TV productions but is best known for its mega-hit stories featuring high school girls. The stories are so popular that some of the places depicted have become pilgrimage sites for fans.The blaze started in the three-story building in JapanŽs ancient capital after the attacker sprayed an unidentified liquid accelerant, police and fire officials said.Japanese media reported the fire might have been set near the front door, forcing people to find other ways out.Firefighters found 33 bodies, 20 of them on the third floor and some on the stairs to the roof, where they apparently collapsed while trying to get out, Kyoto fire official Kazuhiro Hayashi said. Two were found dead on the first floor, 11 others on the second floor, he said.A witness who saw the attacker being approached by police told Japanese networks that the man admitted spreading gasoline and setting the fire with a lighter. She told NHK public television that the man had burns on his arms and legs and that he was angrily complaining that something of his had been `stolen,` possibly by the company.NHK footage also showed sharp knives police had collected from the scene, though it was not clear if they belonged to the attacker.Survivors said he was screaming `You die!` as he dumped the liquid, according to Japanese media. They said some of the survivors got splashed with the liquid.Kyoto Animation, better known as KyoAni, was founded in 1981 as an animation and comic book producti ...
|
