Nineteen people have been confirmed dead, and 26 more are injured after a knife-wielding man attacked people at a care home for people with disabilities. The attacker had reportedly been fired from the facility.

CNN reported that the facility has been identified as Tsukui Yamayurien. It is located west of Tokyo, specifically in Sagamihara. It is 40 kilometers west of the capital. Officer Satomi Kurihara of the Sagamihara Fire Department confirmed the deaths and the number of injured people from the stabbing spree.

Like Us on Facebook

The attack has been dubbed as one of the deadliest mass killings in Japan since World War II. The suspect has been identified as 26-year-old Satoshi Uematsu. He reportedly broke into the facility through a window around 2 a.m. (local time) on Tuesday. Kanagawa Prefecture officials said that they received a phone call from an employee reporting the stabbing.

Hours after the attack, Uematsu turned himself into authorities at the Sagamihara police station. He was carrying a knife that had bloodstains on it as well as a cloth. He reportedly confessed and explained that he attacked the facility because he was angry about losing his job. "It's better that disabled people disappear," he allegedly said.

The injured people have been transported to nearby hospitals for treatment, The Washington Post reported. Around a dozen of the 26 people injured are said to be in serious condition. It is unclear if any employees at the facility were also stabbed during the attack. The identities of the fatally stabbed victims, as well as those who survived the incident, have not been revealed.

The facility was reportedly built by the prefectural authority and is run by a social welfare service organization called Kanagawa Kyodokai. Around 149 people are reported to live in the facility and are aged 18 to 75.

In Japan, since gun ownership is restricted, mass stabbings and poisonings are common. In 2001, eight children were killed after a former janitor broke into an elementary school in Osaka and stabbed students at random. Seven years later, a man ran over a group of people with his truck then stabbed 18 others. He killed a total of seven people during the attack.

TagsJapan knife attack, 19 people killed, 26 injured, facility for disabled people, fired from job, Tokyo, Tsukui Yamayurien, 26-year-old Satoshi Uematsu