Suspected arson attack in Osaka, Japan kills at least 19

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TOKYO — Nineteen people died and several more were feared dead after a suspected arson attack on a medical clinic in the Japanese city of Osaka on Friday.

A fire broke out on the fourth floor of the eight-story building shortly before 10:30 a.m. local time, and was brought under control within 30 minutes, according to national broadcaster NHK. Rescue teams said 27 people were taken to the hospital showing no vital signs and by that evening, 19 were confirmed dead, and three were revived.

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The blaze reportedly began in a psychiatric care clinic on the fourth floor. Police said they suspect a man in his 50s or 60s who was a patient of the clinic and was seen holding a paper bag with liquid leaking from it, according to Mainichi Shimbun, a Japanese news outlet.

Police are investigating whether the suspect was injured in the fire, NHK reported.

Friday’s blaze could become one of the deadliest in Japan in about two decades, since a 2001 inferno at a building in Shinjuku, a district in Tokyo, killed 44 people. Among the most high-profile arson cases in Japan was a 2019 attack on the Kyoto Animation Studio’s building in western Japan, where 36 people were killed and another 34 were injured.

The multiuse building in Osaka is near the main train station in the Kitashinchi district, home to high-end bars and nightclubs. Among other businesses in the building are a beauty salon, an English-language school and a clothing store.

Dozens of fire engines and ambulances arrived in response to the fire Friday morning. The blaze appeared to be limited to the fourth floor, but one person was evacuated from the sixth floor, according to local media.

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