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Two brothers, aged 3 and 10, were killed when the rubber boat they were in with their father was hit by a jet ski on the Kiso River in Hashima City, Gifu Prefecture, on Sunday.
According to police, the accident occurred at around 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Fuji TV reported that the two brothers, their 8-year-old sister and their father, 35, were in the inflatable boat when it was hit by a jet ski.
The four occupants of the rubber boat were knocked into the water by the impact, as well as the 27-year-old woman on the jet ski. All five were taken to hospital, but the two brothers, who had been pulled from the water in a state of cardio-pulmonary arrest, were pronounced dead.
Police said the family were Japanese-Brazilian and had been part of a group attending a BBQ near the river.
Police said the woman driving the jet ski -- also a Japanese-Brazilian -- did not have a license and has been arrested on a charge of negligence resulting in death. She was quoted by police as saying she lost control of the jet ski when it started to accelerate.
© Japan Today
17 Comments
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randomnator
And how is their nationality relevant in this article? Seems typically the cops are introducing the foreign crime angle at every opportunity.
Aly Rustom
That's such a sad story. A young father with his 2 sons out for some recreation which turned into a nightmare.
smithinjapan
Didn't know you need a license to drive a jet ski, but am glad she is at least being arrested and charged with something, as if she hit a rubber boat with four people on it she couldn't have been being that careful. RIP to those lost; horrible thing to happen, let alone happen while you're trying to reduce the heat with some summer fun.
randomnator
Smith, any powered watercraft needs a license. It's about 100,000 yen to take the test. Many people driving a jet ski for the first time will not be licensed. Tragic accident RIP boys.
WiseOneIn Kansai
The owner of the jet ski should also be charged for negligence. My feelings go out to the family of the poor boys.
tmarie
That poor family and community. I'm guessing the kids didn't have lifejackets on.
smithinjapan
randomnator: "Smith, any powered watercraft needs a license. It's about 100,000 yen to take the test. Many people driving a jet ski for the first time will not be licensed."
Thanks for the info. Not surprised about the cost. In many countries, at least until recently, you didn't need a licence to operate a powered craft under a certain engine size. Also, scooter licensing seems to cheap and frivolous by comparison to that of a regular driver's license that I wasn't sure how jet skis fit in. In any case, thanks for informing me.
rainyday
Tragic. I have seen people riding these jet skis in incredibly dangerous and obnoxious ways here (think biker gang idiots only on water) and can`t stand the things. Not sure what the cause was in this case, but if the authorities crack down on them in a serious way to prevent this sort of thing happening again it would be a welcome change.
TheGodfather
"I'm guessing the kids didn't have lifejackets on"
That would be a good guess...
Now, if you were to ask me if I would take myself, and my three kids aged ten and under, out in a rubber dinghy without a life jacket, you would get a very short answer.
DaDude
I know, particularly in lakes and rivers. A lot of jet skiers ride into swimming areas with complete disregard for the swimmers. I am sure there are more accidents that happen and just don't see in the news.
Cliffy
Some jet skiers are quite reckless, so far I have seen.
misunderstood
I like the reporting "Japanese-Brazilian" very direct!
sensei258
How do we know they weren't Brazilian-Japanese?
JeffLee
I've never seem on rivers. I imagine they're especially dangerous in that kind of environment.
Goodlucktoyou
You need a license. Last summer I had 6 near death experiences from jet ski and wakeboard boats. I went to the police and they told me that unless I die, they can't do anything. They said contact the local prefectural office. I tried but gave up as there is some department to department to department to department process. The good point is, you can be very drunk as a fish, sun stroked and hop on a very very powerful machine...and do what you like. I'm sorry for the family. It almost happened to me.