24 killed in fire incident at mental clinic in Japan's Osaka, Police suspect murder, arson

At least 24 people were killed Friday in a fire incident at a mental clinic in Osaka and the police are investigating the incident as a case of suspected murder and arson.

The fire department in the biggest city in western Japan said a total of 28 people were injured, adding it received a report at 10:18 a.m. that a fire had started on the fourth floor of the building, which had no fire sprinklers, according to Kyodo News.

Earlier, the police said a man believed to be in his 50s or 60s who visited the clinic on that floor was responsible for the blaze. He was among the 28 taken to a hospital and remains unconscious, according to the sources.

The police found the man's registration card for the clinic during a search of a place related to him, the sources said.

Further, the Osaka department said it did not confirm any fire protection deficiencies in the entire building, located in the Kitashinchi district known for bars and nightclubs, when it conducted a safety inspection in March 2019, according to Kyodo News.

Further, of the 28 injured, the police said, a woman in her 20s rescued from the sixth floor of the building was slightly injured. .

Meanwhile, the condition of the remaining two was not known. The police said the two were women in their 20s and 30s. The family of the clinic's director said it could not get in touch with him, according to Kyodo News.

About 30 minutes before the blaze at the clinic, there was another fire at a house in Osaka where the man used to live, and the police are investigating the possible connection with the suspected arson, investigative sources said.

( With inputs from ANI )

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