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13-year-old boy drowns in Kyoto's Kamogawa River

9 Comments

A 13-year-old boy drowned in Kyoto's Kamogawa River on Sunday, police said.

It is believed that the boy, identified as Masayuki Maruyama, and a friend were wading in the river when a torrent suddenly washed them away. According to police, Maruyama went under, while his companion was able to pull himself to safety. Maruyama's body was later recovered from the riverbed.

© Compiled from news reports

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9 Comments
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Sad end to a day playing in the river for these kids, but it is the first of many drownings as the summer season kicks off.

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There is nothing worse than seeing wreaths of flowers left on a riverbank in Japan knowing that a life has been lost,,,,,,

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Aloha, you don't seem to understand the concept of a strong river current and a panicking kid. Next time you try it and let's see how you fair!

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The rivers here are notoriously fickle.

If that were not enough, there is a surprising amount of dangerous stuff thrown into them, like old bicycles, wire, steel, concrete building materials etc., onto which even a good swimmer can get snagged. You need to know your river and choose your spot carefully.

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The tragic thing about Japan is that it is an island country, but hardly anyone can swim. Japan's pools are so over crowded that there is no way to learn to swim at one, and most schools do not teach them either.

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Why did he not try to save his friend? I guess it is okay to leave our friends behind.

Why didnt you try to save him seeing as you must have been there to say something like that?

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his companion was able to pull himself to safety

Why did he not try to save his friend? I guess it is okay to leave our friends behind.

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Really tragic. No people around to help? Theres always a lot of people sitting on the riverbeds of kamogawa.

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The lady giveth, the lady taketh...

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