Couple posts warning sign on window before gassing selves to death in car

ECHIZEN, Fukui -- A man and a woman, both aged in their 20s, gassed themselves to death in a car here by mixing detergents to produce deadly hydrogen sulfide in an apparent suicide pact, police said.

At around 12:50 a.m. on Monday, a 27-year-old man from Kyoto Prefecture and a 21-year-old woman from Fukuoka Prefecture were found dead in a car parked near a beach in Echizen by a relative of his, local police said.

A piece of paper reading, "Caution! Toxic Gas," had been posted on a window of the car, and detergent containers were found in the vehicle, leading investigators to suspect that the two had made a pact to kill themselves by producing deadly hydrogen sulfide gas inside the car.

Their names were not immediately disclosed. A note hinting that the woman would commit suicide was found in her home.

The deaths follow a recent spate of incidents in which people have mixed detergents to generate the deadly gas to kill themselves. In some cases, neighbors and family members have also been sickened.

(Mainichi Japan) May 6, 2008