33 people were killed while dozens are injured after an unidentified arsonist set the Kyoto Animation studio in Kyoto, Japan ablaze.
According to the New York Times, the incident happened at around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday when the suspect, a 41-year-old man, spread liquid around the building before setting it on fire.
There were about 70 people who were inside the building at the time of the incident, the report noted.
The man had burst the building and was heard screaming “You die!” as said by AP News. The suspect then tried to escape, but collapsed on the street and was later captured by the studio’s staff.
Firefighters found more than 10 people presumed dead on top floor of the building, BBC reported. Some of the people found had collapsed on the stairs on the way to the roof.
About 36 people are currently in the hospital, with some in critical condition.
Makoto Shinkai, director of the hit anime movie “Your Name,” shared his words of support on Twitter and wrote as translated by the New York Times: “Everyone at Kyoto Animation, please please stay safe.”
京都アニメーションの皆さま、どうかどうかご無事で。
— 新海誠 (@shinkaimakoto) July 18, 2019
“Today, we had many casualties in a fatal arson attack that happened in Kyoto,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said in his Twitter post. “It is so horrifying that I am at a loss for words. I’d like to express my deepest condolences to the victims. I offer my thoughts to those who have been wounded and pray for their recovery, by even one day.”
本日、京都で発生した放火殺人事件では、多数の死傷者が出ており、あまりの凄惨さに言葉を失います。お亡くなりになられた方のご冥福をお祈りいたします。負傷された皆様にお見舞いを申し上げるとともに、一日も早い回復をお祈りしています。
— 安倍晋三 (@AbeShinzo) July 18, 2019
Kyoto Animation is known for producing many iconic and popular shows and movies including “Clannad,” “Full Metal Panic,” “K-On,” and “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.”
Featured image screenshot via YouTube / ANNnewsCH
