Advertisement

Updated December 19th, 2021 at 12:25 IST

Japan govt announces plans to check 30,000 buildings nationwide after Osaka arson incident

Japan's government announced plans to check tens of thousands of buildings across the country after a fire engulfed an eight-storey mental clinic in Osaka.

Reported by: Anurag Roushan
Japan
Image: AP | Image:self
Advertisement

The Japanese government has announced plans to check tens of thousands of buildings across the country after fire engulfed an 8-storey clinic in Osaka that killed at least 24 people on Friday, December 17.

Yasushi Kaneko, the minister in charge of internal affairs and communications, as well as fire and disaster management, said that he has ordered a nationwide investigation of around 30,000 commercial buildings with three or more storeys but just a single stairway, reported Associated Press (AP). Meanwhile, the police have also identified a 61-year-old male patient as the prime suspect for setting fire at the clinic.

The Osaka investigation team searched the house of the suspect after they found the man's registration card for the clinic during a search of a place related to him. According to the investigation team, the suspect has been identified as Morio Tanimoto, one of the three survivors who are still in critical condition. An official at the prefectural police investigation department claimed that after checking the security camera and inspecting Tanimoto's house, it was established that he was the one who set fire at the facility.

Fire was doused within 30 minutes of the incident

According to Kyodo News, Tanimoto was a retired clinic worker. He was described as a dedicated and skilled worker by his former employer at a factory where he worked from 2002 until 2010.

Authorities are looking into how the smoke filled the floor so rapidly that entrapped the victims. They stated that the fire that had scorched just about 25 square metres of the floor near the reception was doused within 30 minutes with the help of more than 70 fire engines, reported AP. 

It should be mentioned here that an attacker invaded the Kyoto Animation studio in 2019 and set it on fire, killing 36 people and injuring several others. The incident had stunned Japan, and anime fans all across the world expressed their sorrow. Apart from this, a deliberate attempt to set ablaze a building in Tokyo's Kabukicho killed 44 people in 2001, making it the country's worst recorded case of arson in modern times.

(With inputs from AP)

Image: AP

Advertisement

Published December 19th, 2021 at 12:24 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

Mukhtar Ansari Death
16 minutes ago
Chamkila
18 minutes ago
Lorry Crushes Car-Cleaner To Death In Telangana
23 minutes ago
Major League Cricket
24 minutes ago
Abhay Deol
25 minutes ago
delhi cm arvind kejriwal
27 minutes ago
MEA Responds To China’s Comment On Sikh Separatist Gurupatwant Singh Pannun
29 minutes ago
Riyan Parag
31 minutes ago
David Warner
32 minutes ago
Dhara Gujjar
41 minutes ago
UFC Exclusive Erin Blanchfield
an hour ago
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo