A MAN gassed himself with laundry detergent in one of Tokyo`s most luxurious hotels today, using the method of a rising number of suicides in Japan.
The 47-year-old was found unconscious on the 10th floor of the recently built Peninsula hotel and was sent to a hospital in critical condition, a fire department spokesman said.
"Authorities were alerted by a phone call about a putrid smell. When authorities arrived, they detected hydrogen sulphide gas and found the man in an apparent suicide," he said.
Seventeen people were evacuated from the hotel as a precaution, although none were reported to be affected, the official said.
Hydrogen sulphide gas can be produced by combining common clothes detergent and bath salts.
Instructions have been posted on websites for people trying to kill themselves, triggering a wave of suicides. Japan has one of the world`s highest suicide rates.
A 14-year-old girl and two other people have been found dead in the past three days in Japan in apparent detergent suicides following six cases last week.
The 1019-room Peninsula, built by the luxury Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels group, opened seven months ago near the imperial palace amid a boom in high-end hotels in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, a hydrogen sulphide leak slightly injured 17 staff today at a factory of camera maker Olympus Corp in eastern Fukushima prefecture, although authorities suspected it was an industrial accident.
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