24 dead after suspected arson hits eight-storey building in Japan

First responders carry a stretcher after a deadly fire at an eight-story building in a major business, shopping and entertainment district in Osaka, western Japan, Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. More than 20 people were feared dead after the fire broke out Friday in the building in Osaka, officials said, and police were investigating arson as a possible cause. (Yukie Nishizawa/Kyodo News via AP)

A fire that spread from a fourth-floor mental health clinic in an eight-storey building in western Japan has left 24 dead in what police are treating as a possible arson.

Media reports said police in Osaka are searching for a man who was seen carrying a paper bag which was dripping an unidentified liquid. The man could have been among the 24 dead, reports said. Police declined to confirm the reports.