Arson attack at Kyoto animation studio leaves 33 dead

Around 33 people are dead and dozens injured after a man set ablaze an animation studio in the Japanese city of Kyoto, officials say.

The incident is Japan’s worst mass murder in nearly two decades.

Police said the 41-year-old suspect broke into the Kyoto Animation studio on Thursday morning and sprayed petrol before igniting it.

The suspect has been detained and was taken to hospital with injuries.

The motive was not yet known. The suspected arsonist was injured and was being treated in hospital, so police could not question him, NHK said.

Police also found knives at the scene, say local media. NHK said the man had been heard saying “drop dead” as he set fire to the building.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the attack in the city of Kyoto – the latest grisly killing in a nation widely known for its low crime rates – “too appalling for words” and offered condolences.

Kyoto Animation, known as KyoAni, produces films and graphic novels and is well regarded by fans for the quality of its productions.

Kyoto Animation produces popular series such as the “Sound! Euphonium”. Its “Free! Road to the World – The Dream” movie is due for release this month.

“I am heartbroken,” Hideaki Hatta, the studio’s chief executive told reporters. “It is unbearable that the people who helped carry Japan’s animation industry were hurt and lost their lives in this way.”