Four bodies found in Tsu house fire; four children unaccounted for
In short
A wooden house in Tsu, Mie Prefecture, burned to the ground on the afternoon of October 2 and four bodies were found in the ruins. Four children — a four-year-old girl and three siblings aged 10 to 13 — are unaccounted for, and police believe the remains are theirs. Investigators say the fire appears to have started near the entrance on the south side of the house.
Read the full story 2 min read
A fire on the afternoon of October 2 destroyed a wooden single-story house in Kōrashō-chō, Tsu, Mie Prefecture, and four bodies were found in the ruins, according to police and firefighters. NHK, Nippon TV and Asahi Shimbun all reported that the house burned to the ground and that four people died. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Four children remain unaccounted for. Nippon TV reported that they are a four-year-old girl who lived in the house where the fire began and three siblings aged 10 to 13 who lived nearby. Police believe the four bodies are those of the missing children and are working to confirm their identities, according to Nippon TV and Asahi, which reported that the bodies were of unknown age and sex. A 38-year-old male resident of the house and a 43-year-old female acquaintance were injured, NHK reported; Asahi identified the man as a Brazilian national and a company employee. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
Both told police they were out when the fire started, according to NHK, which cited a police interview; Asahi also reported that the two were away from home at the time. Nippon TV described the woman as an acquaintance who lived near the house. [ 2 , 4 , 5 ]
Investigators are focusing on the entrance on the south side of the house. NHK and Nippon TV reported that the area around the entrance was burning fiercely when firefighters arrived and that the fire department considers it a likely point of origin. Asahi reported that a shed stood next to the house on its south side and that a propane gas cylinder was found nearby damaged beyond recognition. A 77-year-old neighbour, Kiyomaru Ono, told Asahi that a pillar of fire rose from near the entrance and that explosion-like sounds followed twice; another resident said the sounds were heard several hundred metres away. Mie prefectural police and the fire department carried out an on-site inspection on October 3. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
A neighbour told Nippon TV: “I heard children's voices, and after a while there was a crackling sound of wood burning, and a pillar of fire rose between the buildings.” [ 4 ]
Why it matters
The fire is a fatal local tragedy that Japanese outlets covered as a developing story, with police and firefighters still working to identify the dead and establish a cause. Reporting that a propane cylinder was found destroyed and that neighbours heard explosions points to questions about how the blaze started, which the on-site inspection is meant to answer. Beyond Japan the event has little direct consequence.
Key facts
- A fire on the afternoon of October 2 destroyed a wooden single-story house in Kōrashō-chō, Tsu, Mie Prefecture. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- Four bodies were found in the ruins, and police believe they are four missing children. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- The missing are a four-year-old girl who lived in the house and three siblings aged 10 to 13 who lived nearby, according to Nippon TV. [ 4 , 5 ]
- A 38-year-old male resident and a 43-year-old female acquaintance were injured. [ 1 , 5 ]
- The two told police they were out when the fire started. [ 2 , 5 ]
- Firefighters say the area around the south-side entrance was burning fiercely and may be the point of origin. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Asahi reported that a propane gas cylinder was found damaged beyond recognition near the scene and that neighbours heard explosion-like sounds. [ 5 ]
- Mie prefectural police and the fire department carried out an on-site inspection on October 3. [ 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A house fire in Tsu, Mie Prefecture, on the afternoon of October 2 destroyed a wooden house and four bodies were found in the ruins. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Four children are unaccounted for. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The fire appears to have broken out near the south-side entrance of the house. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- A 38-year-old male resident and a 43-year-old female acquaintance were injured in the fire. [ 1 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- The identities of the four bodies found in the ruins. Nippon TV and Asahi say police believe the bodies are the four missing children but are still confirming their identities; no formal identification has been reported.
- The cause of the fire. Firefighters say the entrance area may be the origin and police and fire services are investigating; no cause has been established in the documents.
- Whether a damaged propane gas cylinder is connected to the fire. The cylinder is reported only by Asahi, which does not say it caused the blaze; no outlet states a link.
- The nationality of the injured male resident. Only Asahi reports that he is a Brazilian national and a company employee; other outlets do not mention it.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- A fire breaks out at a house in Kōrashō-chō, Tsu, and the wooden single-story house is destroyed. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- NHK reports the fire, the discovery of four bodies and injuries to a 38-year-old male resident and a 43-year-old female acquaintance, and says four children cannot be contacted. [ 1 ]
- NHK reports that the resident and the woman told police they were not at home when the fire started. [ 2 ]
- NHK reports that the area around the south-side entrance was burning fiercely and that the fire department is investigating it as a possible origin. [ 3 ]
- Nippon TV reports that the four bodies are believed to be children and carries a neighbour's account of hearing children's voices before the fire. [ 4 ]
- Asahi reports that police and firefighters conducted an on-site inspection that day and that a propane cylinder was found destroyed, with neighbours reporting explosion-like sounds. [ 5 ]