a summit gone horribly wrong
NINE FOUND DEAD IN NET SUICIDE PACT Gassed in cars
Oct 13 2004
NINE young people died in an apparent suicide pact after meeting on the internet.
Seven were found yesterday slumped in a van by a mountain.
And two more were found 60 miles away in the back of a car.
In the van, a woman sat in the driver's seat while two other women and four men sat in rows behind her.
The windows were sealed on the inside with tape and four charcoal stoves were found in the vehicle.
Police believe they were used to poison the occupants with carbon monoxide. The van was found outside Tokyo after a friend of one of the dead raised the alarm when he received an email hinting at suicide.
At the same time, two women were discovered dead at a temple in Yokosuka, 60 miles from Tokyo. Two charcoal stoves were found.
It is thought to be Japan's biggest group suicide and has sparked fears of copycat internet deaths. As many as 32,000 Japanese have killed themselves in the past year.
Suicide pacts have been made worldwide over the web since at least the late 90s. But they are particularly frequent in Japan.
The National Police Agency says 45 people killed themselves in groups after meeting online between January 2003 and June 2004.
Some websites offer "shopping lists" of things needed for self-asphyxiation as well as packs to buy.
