According to reports, a fire was started at Kyoto Animation studios, known as KyoAni, after a suspect broke into the studio and sprayed petrol before lighting it on fire. The suspect then lit fire to the studio in an incident which has claimed the lives of dozens of people.
The Associated Press reports that 33 people were killed in the blaze.
From the report:
A Japanese fire official says the death toll from a Kyoto animation studio fire is now 33 and nobody else is believed to be still missing. Kyoto fire department official Kazuhiro Hayashi says 36 others have been injured, 10 of them critically. Hayashi says firefighters found the largest number of victims on the top floor of the three-story building, including some who had collapsed on the stairs leading to the roof. Two of the dead were found on the first floor, 11 on the second and 20 on the third floor.
There is no word on the relationship the suspected arsonist had with the company.
The company had previously received violent threats.
NBC News adds:
The death toll climbed immediately after the incident as firefighters entered the building and assessed the damage. Fire officials said 13 people were found and confirmed dead on the first and second floors of the building, the AP reported. More than 10 people were found unresponsive on the third floor and in the stairwell where they appeared to be trying to escape to the roof.
“They were addressed to our office and sales department and told us to die,” Kyoto Animation Director Hideaki Hatta said, via BBC.com.
That is all the information that is available at this time. This article will be updated with new and relevant information should it become available at any time. If there is anything that we missed, please feel free to send an email to editor@teamcoed.com and we will respond as soon as possible.