A motive for the apparent attack remained unclear hours after the blaze
Rescue operation underway at the three-storey building of an animation company in Kyoto, Japan, on Thursday. Pic /AFP
"Of the 33, two were found on the ground floor, 11 on the second and 20 on the third and also on the staircases that lead to the rooftop," the official told AFP. Another 36 people were injured, including 10 in serious condition, he said, adding that all those inside the building during the blaze were now accounted for.
The horrific fire appeared to have been set in the middle of Thursday morning, with the fire department saying they began receiving emergency calls around 10:30am.
The blaze left people with serious wounds, eyewitnesses said. "I saw people who were totally black or covered in blood, or who had suffered burns all over their body," a 53-year-old woman told the Kyodo news agency.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe tweeted, "It's so dreadful that I'm lost for words... I pray for those who passed away." Police said it was a suspected arson attack. "A man threw a liquid and set fire to it," a Kyoto police spokesman told AFP.
10
No. of critically injured persons
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