A husband and wife died after a fire broke out in their sauna and they were unable to escape due to a “faulty” door handle.
Tokyo police are now investigating whether the pen prevented the couple from escaping their room at Sauna Tiger, located in the city's Akasaka district, local media reported.
Investigators also found that the alarm system inside the room was not connected to the network, and according to the employee, it “has not been turned on” for the past two years, the Japanese publication reported. Asahi Shimbun reported.
The victims were 37-year-old Yoko Matsuda, a manicurist, and her 36-year-old husband Masanari, a beauty salon owner.
Emergency services found them lying on the floor on top of each other, with their heads pressed against the door, after a smoke detector outside the sauna went off at around 12:25 local time on Monday.
Both were taken to hospital but later died from their injuries.
Masanari had burns all over his body and on both shoulders, while his wife had burns on her right shoulder.
None of the injuries were life-threatening and an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.
A husband and wife in Tokyo, Japan, died after getting stuck in a sauna after a fire broke out due to a “faulty” door handle (file photo)
In a statement on its website, Sauna Tiger said: “We offer our deepest condolences… and sincere sympathy for the deep grief and pain that cannot be expressed in words.”
Investigators told local media there was evidence a fire had broken out inside the sauna, with a bench and walls in a third-floor room partially charred and a towel burned.
Police are investigating whether the fire may have started after a towel touched the hot stones of the sauna.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department also said they believe the couple were trapped in the room after the fire broke out.
According to police, firefighters arrived to find the door handle torn off and lying on the floor, making it impossible to open it.
The room also showed signs that the couple had tried to press the hazard lights as the cover was removed, but investigators discovered there was no electricity connected to it.
According to the Minato Public Health Center, the sauna first opened in July 2022 and was inspected in April 2023 – at which time “no major deficiencies were found in the equipment.”
The employee told police the device was believed to have been disabled “since approximately 2023.”
Sauna Tiger said it is cooperating with investigators and is taking the incident “very seriously.” The site will remain “closed” for now.
