Hundreds flee homes in Otaru after man kills himself by inhaling deadly gas
Thursday 01st May, 06:20 PM JST
TOKYO —
About 350 people fled their homes in northern Japan on Thursday to escape poisonous fumes released by a neighbor who killed himself by mixing detergent and other chemicals—the latest in a series of such suicides.
The panic in Otaru came just hours after national police urged Internet providers to crack down on websites spurring a wave of detergent-related suicides in which 50 people have reportedly died in the past month.
The rash of such suicides in Japan—which already has one of the world’s highest suicide rates—has triggered widespread concern because the powerful fumes can seriously harm bystanders and rescuers.
In Otaru, on the northern island of Hokkaido, a 24-year-old man mixed the chemicals in his house after midnight. He died and the gas—hydrogen sulfide—escaped his home, and neighbors were alerted by the smell, a Hokkaido police official said.
The man’s 58-year-old mother, who was apparently overcome by the fumes, was found unconscious nearby and was taken to a hospital. Police said she was recovering.
About 350 neighbors fled to a nearby school playground where they stayed for about two hours until the fumes dispersed, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department policy.
Last week at least 90 people were sickened by fumes in southwestern Japan when a teenage girl killed herself by mixing laundry detergent with cleanser in her apartment.
Alarmed by the wave of detergent suicides, the National Police Agency urged Internet providers Wednesday to delete materials from websites showing readers how to mix the chemicals, officials said Thursday. Some sites reportedly provide “poison gas” warnings that viewers can print out and hang outside their doors when they kill themselves.
The police request was the first action against the detergent suicides taken by the Japanese government, which has announced the goal of cutting the suicide rate by 20% in 10 years by reducing unemployment, boosting workplace counseling and filtering websites that promote suicide.
Reports said more than 50 people have killed themselves by inhaling hydrogen sulfide in the past month. Police say they have yet to compile data on such deaths.
Seiji Yoshikawa, deputy head of the Internet Hot Line, which operates under the guidelines of police, said the number of sites promoting detergent suicides soared in April.
“They are rife on the Internet. Writing examples include ‘you can die easily and beautifully’ and ‘this is much easier than charcoal-burning suicide,” Yoshikawa said, referring to a once-popular suicide method.
Hydrogen sulfide gas is colorless and characterized by an odor similar to that of rotten eggs. When inhaled, it can lead to suffocation or brain damage.
Annual suicides in Japan passed the 30,000 mark in 1998, near the height of an economic slump that left many bankrupt, jobless and desperate.
A total of 32,155 people killed themselves in 2006, giving the country the ninth highest suicide rate in the world, according to the government.
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