34 evacuated from Japan apartment after gas suicide



34 evacuated from Japan apartment after gas suicide

June 04, 2008

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese police evacuated 34 people from an apartment
building Wednesday after a man apparently killed himself by mixing
chemicals and inhaling the deadly fumes, the latest in a string of
similar suicides nationwide.

Police said they were called to the scene in Kanazawa City, western
Japan, when a resident found a sign on the door of an apartment
warning of dangerous gases. After residents noticed a strange smell
coming from the apartment, police moved them to a local community
center.

The body of a man was found in the apartment, along with cleaning and
agricultural chemicals that produce deadly gasses when mixed, police
officer Hiroshi Sakashita said.

Japan has long battled a high suicide rate relative to other developed
nations, and it is now in the grip of a wave of deaths from mixing
commonly available chemicals to form hydrogen sulfide gas. The gas can
form noxious clouds and also affect those who happen to be nearby,
often triggering mass evacuations.

Government data showed at least 84 such suicides throughout Japan in
May. Police have begun cracking down on popular Web sites that give
specific instructions for mixing the chemicals and encourage suicides.

A total of 32,155 people killed themselves in 2006 in Japan, giving
the country the ninth-highest suicide rate in the world, according to
the government.

Tokyo has earmarked $220 million for anti-suicide programs to help
those with depression and other emotional problems.




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