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A 17-year-old boy was found dead at the bottom of the Arakawa River in Nagatoro, Chichibu, on Sunday, after he attempted to cross the river but got swept away by strong currents, police said.
Keita Ishiwatari, a third-year high school student, went with friends to hang out at the river Sunday morning. He attempted to cross the river with a friend at about 7.30 a.m. but turned back after realizing it was too deep. He lost his footing and was pulled under by a strong current, police said.
Police and emergency personnel from the fire department were called to the scene and found the boy four hours later at the bottom of the river, about 40 meters downstream from where he was pulled under. They attempted to resuscitate the boy but he was pronounced dead at hospital.
Police said that the river was about 40 meters wide where Ishiwatari attempted to cross, and that it was nearly twice as deep as usual in some areas due to rain on Saturday.
© News reports
7 Comments
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timorborder
Pretty sad and also pretty stupid. So the river was in flood and he tried to swing it. I wonder what when wrong? Weak swimmer? Hit a submerged obstruction?
Altria
Tragic that this guy lost his life trying to cross a river.
doombird
An unfortunate accident, the kind that every parent fears as their child gets older. Bravado inevitably claims more than a few lives.
Especially when the river is named Arakawa (or "wild river"), it's generally not a good idea to try to cross it when it's visibly swollen by heavy rain.
Coolasapool
were their no bridges?
bamboohat
Poor kid. Horrible way to go. Most people die in cases like this because they suddenly panic, start swimming frantically, and quickly tire, going under. Similar to getting caught in a rip current at the beach.
Best thing to do is just relax, try and float, and hope somebody comes for you. Poor kid.
sicklittlemonkey
Tragic. I've seen experienced hikers taken for a ride by a river, and they are lucky to be alive. Rivers like this are much more dangerous than a rip at a beach, especially if you don't have a buoyant backpack.
If the bottom is not visible or it's more than knee-deep, it's a potential killer.
nandakandamanda
Many of these rivers have metal junk in them and most have large boulders. Hit you head and you're a goner.
All it takes is a moment to make that stupid move. RIP.