Japanese zoo shut after worker 'dumped wife’s body in incinerator'
Asahiyama Zoo, in the northern city of Asahikawa, had been closed for a three-week maintenance break and was expected to open its doors on Wednesday
A popular Japanese zoo has remained closed. after a staff member told police he had disposed of his wife's body in the site's incinerator.
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Asahiyama Zoo, in the northern city of Asahikawa, had been closed for a three-week maintenance break and was expected to open its doors to the public for the summer season on Wednesday.
But the grand re-opening has now been delayed until Friday following the shocking revelation, as police continue to carry out their investigations on the grounds.
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Local media reports that detectives began searching the zoo last week after the employee told them he had dumped his wife's body in the zoo's incinerator, which is normally used to dispose of animal carcasses.
The popular zoo, which receives more than one million visitors every year, had been hoping to open in time for Japan's Golden Week, a cluster of national holidays between April 29 and May 5.
Visitors flock to the zoo for its unusual enclosures - featuring glass domes and overhead cages - that allow people to observe animals up close.
The zoo had been closed since April 8 for maintenance work ahead of the busy summer season, but their plans to re-open were scrapped when city government officials ordered the site to remain closed while the authorities dealt with an "unprecedented crisis".
Images showed the entrance to the zoo covered in blue tarpaulin, while forensics officers in white body suits and face masks walked in and out of the site.
Police had been searching for the employee's wife since a friend reported her disappearance, local reports say.
Apologising for the inconvenience, authorities also warned that the zoo may be closed without prior notice if the investigation calls for it.
Hirosuke Imazu, the mayor of Asahikawa city, told a press conference on Tuesday: "No one could have predicted it.
"I am overcome with immense anxiety, and I am facing a crisis of unprecedented magnitude.
"We are making preparations to welcome you, so we hope that as many people as possible will come to the park."