The number of people believed to have died in the cartoon factory fire that occurred on July 18 in Japan's Kyoto prefecture has reached at least 24. According to local police, a major fire broke out at the film studio at 10:30 (local time). About 70 people were believed to be inside the building at the time of the fire.
According to the police, this was likely a deliberate arson. A male suspect, 41 years old, was also among the injured and was taken to the hospital. Some unconfirmed information said that this person admitted to pouring gas and setting the building on fire. Meanwhile, some witnesses said that the suspect was both on fire and shouting loudly "dead". At the scene, the police also seized many knives, but it is unclear whether they belonged to the perpetrator or not.
Kyoto animation studio was established in 1981, and is home to many famous Japanese animated films.
Japanese media reported that there were about 70 people in the building at the time of the incident, so it is likely that the death toll could continue to rise. Currently, the authorities are continuing to fight the fire and investigate the incident.
