Suicide capsule alarm: It dies within a few minutes of entering.

Switzerland is going through difficult days due to unprecedented suicide capsules. The organization behind the capsules, called The Last Resort, announced that the first person to use the device was a 64-year-old woman from the USA suffering from a severely weakened immune system.

DEVICE USED FOR THE FIRST TIME

After the first use of a capsule-shaped device that allows its user to commit suicide in Switzerland, the police detained four people. The device was first used in the Schaffhausen canton, located in northern Switzerland near the German border. In a statement made by the police, it was noted that prosecutors have launched an investigation into a number of suspects for the crime of "encouraging and assisting suicide." The police announced that the assisted suicide case involving the use of the "suicide capsule" occurred yesterday in a forest cabin in the municipality of Merishausen in the Schaffhausen canton.

DIES WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF ENTERING

The "Sarco" suicide capsule, produced with a 3D printer and never used before, begins to release nitrogen gas into the air when the person sitting inside presses a button. As the oxygen in the air drops to lethal levels, the user sitting in the capsule loses consciousness and dies by asphyxiation within a few minutes.

THE FIRST USER WAS AN ELDERLY AMERICAN

The spokesperson for The Last Resort, the group behind the suicide capsule initiative, stated that the person who used the capsule was a 64-year-old woman from the USA suffering from a severely weakened immune system. The spokesperson for the Switzerland-based organization, which argues that "death is a human right," announced that those arrested by the police included The Last Resort Vice President Florian Willet, a Dutch journalist, and two Swiss individuals. The Dutch newspaper Volkskrant also reported that one of the photographers who wanted to take pictures while the Sarco device was being used was detained by the Swiss police.

"PEACEFUL, QUICK, AND DIGNIFIED"

The spokesperson for The Last Resort stated that the only person present with the American woman when she used the suicide capsule was Willet. The spokesperson noted that the American woman had also undergone all psychiatric evaluations before ending her life. In a statement released by The Last Resort, it was mentioned that Willet described the American woman's death as "peaceful, quick, and dignified."

Sarco was developed by Austrian former physician Philip Nitschke, who has been known for his work on suicide with expert support since the 1990s. The ability to produce the device with a 3D printer raises concerns about its potential use by children and individuals with mental health issues.