A crazed attacker screaming “You die!” killed 33 people as he burst into a Japanese cartoon studio and set it on fire .
Police said a 41-year-old man sprayed petrol inside the office of Kyoto Animation and set it alight at 10.30am local time.
A witness said they saw victims with burns who had been “covered with something”. Fire crews found 20 dead or dying people on the third floor and at least 10 on the stairs from the second floor to the roof.
Thirty-six people were injured, some critically.
Police in Kyoto said the attacker did not work for the studio but witnesses said he appeared to have a grudge against it. A woman said she heard him yelling: “You ripped me off!”
The man bought nine gallons of petrol at a nearby filling station before the attack. Two petrol cans and knives were reportedly found at the scene.
Witnesses said the killer tried to flee to a railway station, chased by studio staff, but collapsed. A neighbour said: “A person with singed hair was lying down and there were bloody footprints.”
The man was taken to hospital , where police were waiting to question him.
Hideaki Hatta, president of Kyoto Animation, said the company had received anonymous email death threats in the past but did not link them to the attack.
“My heart is in extreme pain,” he added. “Why on earth did such violence have to be used?”
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe said the incident was “too appalling for words”.
Kyoto Animation produces “anime” cartoons and comic books and is famous in Japan for its stories starring schoolgirls.
