(Illustrative photo) [tags: illustration, photo]
A Japanese husband and wife were trapped inside a sauna room during a fire and could not escape. Both eventually died. Officials found the door latch lying on the floor and the emergency alarm was not working. [tags: fire, sauna, accident, Tokyo]
Foreign news agencies reported that a husband and wife died after being trapped inside a private sauna room that caught fire in Tokyo's Akasaka district on Monday (15 Dec 2023). Police are investigating whether a broken door knob caused the couple to become trapped inside the "Sauna Tiger" facility. [tags: fire, investigation, Tokyo]
Japanese local media identified the deceased as Yoko Matsuda, a 37-year-old nail technician, and her husband Masanari, 36, who owned a beauty salon. [tags: victims, profiles, Tokyo]
Firefighters were alerted around 12:25 p.m. local time Monday when the building's fire alarm sounded. Investigators told Japanese media that upon arrival, firefighters found the sauna room's door knob had fallen to the floor. [tags: fire response, alarm, Tokyo]
Officials then found the couple lying collapsed together on the floor with their heads near the door. Both were rushed to hospital but later died. [tags: casualties, rescue, hospital]
Police also found a burnt towel inside the sauna room, indicating the fire may have started when the towel came into contact with the hot sauna stones. [tags: fire cause, sauna, evidence]
Inside the sauna room, an emergency alarm was installed on the wall for staff assistance requests. Investigators found it was disabled; however, the police stated the alarm cover had been removed, suggesting the couple tried pressing the button for help. [tags: emergency alarm, disabled, investigation]
Local media further reported that when questioned about the alarm system, employees said it had not been operational since 2023. [tags: alarm system, employee statement]
The Minato Ward Public Health Center told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper that the sauna opened in July 2022 and was last inspected in April 2023, at which time no major equipment defects were found. [tags: inspection, public health, sauna]
After the incident, Sauna Tiger issued a statement expressing condolences to the deceased, affirming they take the matter "most seriously" and are fully cooperating with authorities. They announced a temporary closure and will refund all customers with advance bookings. [tags: company statement, closure, refund]
Follow international news: [tags: news, international]https://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign [tags: news source, website]
Source: [tags: attribution]bbc [tags: news agency]