At least 15 injured in chemical attack and stabbing at Japan tyre factory

A man was arrested after stabbing eight people and injuring seven others with what was believed to be bleach at a tyre factory in central Japan on Friday, authorities said.

The victims of the stabbing were taken to hospitals, while the rest have been treated for their injuries.

Five of the people who were stabbed remain in serious condition, according to the Fujisan Nanto Fire Department. Other details are not yet available.

Firefighters said they received an emergency call from the Yokohama Rubber Company, which is located in the city of Mishima, in Shizuoka Prefecture, west of Tokyo.

The factory employs nearly 1,000 workers and produces passenger car tyres. The attacker was armed with a survival knife and wearing a gas mask as he assaulted different departments of the factory before being detained on-site, according to Japanese newspaper Asahi.

Emergency services dispatched a fleet of ambulances and fire trucks to the site.

Shizuoka prefectural police said the attacker was a 38-year-old man who was arrested for alleged attempted murder, but did not give further details.