At least 20 people have fallen ill after a man sprayed an unidentified liquid inside a luxury shopping mall in Tokyo on Monday. The incident occurred at Ginza Six, a high-end shopping centre in central Tokyo, when the suspect sprayed a pungent-smelling substance at an ATM on the ground floor.
Emergency Response
Police and firefighters sealed off roads around the building, mobilising 53 fire trucks and keeping more than 10 emergency vehicles and ambulances on standby. Firefighters in hazmat suits were seen escorting people from the mall into specialised trucks for examination.
According to NHK World, 25 people complained of sore throats and other symptoms, with at least 19 taken to hospital for treatment. A woman in her 70s told the broadcaster that her throat began "stinging and hurting" as she approached the ATM. "By the time I arrived, the commotion had already started, and I thought there might have been a small fire or something," she said. "Once I went into the ATM corner, my throat felt scratchy, almost numb. Even now, I still feel a choking pain."
Suspect Description
Eyewitnesses described the suspect as a man wearing a long-sleeved black shirt, white pants, and a white mask. Police are investigating the cause of the incident, a fire department official told AFP.
This marks the second such incident in less than a month in Tokyo. On 10 May, at least 10 people were hospitalised after an unknown substance was sprayed inside a moving train near Tokyo, causing coughing and throat irritation among passengers.
The incidents have revived memories of the 1995 sarin gas attack, when members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult released sarin gas on trains, killing 14 people and sickening over 5,800.
