Tokyo: 25 people poisoned in luxury shopping district

TOKYO, 25 MAY - The final toll of the incident that occurred in the Ginza district, in the center of Tokyo, in a commercial complex in the luxury shopping area, is 25 people poisoned. According to the Metropolitan Police, the alarm was triggered around noon (5 am in Italy), when the presence of a "pungent and irritating" odor was reported inside the building. Several visitors complained of cough, sore throat, and difficulty breathing, triggering a massive rescue operation. More than 50 fire department vehicles arrived on the scene, with personnel equipped with protective suits, while surrounding streets were temporarily closed to traffic to allow for emergency operations. The people involved today, aged between 20 and 80, underwent initial health checks. Nineteen of them were transferred to the hospital for further checks, but none are reported to be in serious condition. All patients, according to the authorities, remained conscious. Investigators believe it was a deliberate act. Security cameras reportedly captured a man, with his face covered by a mask, spraying an as-yet-unidentified substance near a bank ATM on the ground floor of the facility. The suspect then allegedly fled quickly immediately after the action. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation to ascertain the nature of the substance used and reconstruct the dynamics of the event. This is the second episode in less than a month that has involved people in Tokyo who felt unwell due to a gas sprayed in a public area. On May 10, at least 10 people were hospitalized after an unknown substance was allegedly sprayed inside a moving train near Tokyo. Japan is still shaken by the memory of the serious subway attack on March 20, 1995, when members of the Aum Shinrikyo sect released sarin gas on trains, killing 14 people and sickening more than 5,800. Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA