A 4-year-old boy drowned after being swept away by a strong current in a river in Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, police said Tuesday.
Police said that just before 5 p.m. Monday, a woman called 110 and said her 4-year-old son had disappeared while playing in the Hoshino River, broadcaster NTV reported.
About 30 minutes later, the boy was found submerged in an irrigation canal one kilometer downstream from where he had disappeared. He was taken to hospital, but was confirmed dead on arrival.
The irrigation canal is an agricultural canal that draws water from the river, and the water depth where the boy went under was about 50 centimeters.
The boy had come to play in the river with his parents and siblings from Fukuoka City.
© Japan Today
15 Comments
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Gazman
Are the parents being charged with manslaughter? Death by negligence? The amount of parents that let their kids wander freely at the river never ceases to amaze me.
Christopher
Heart breaking and so sad.. I know Yame well and have swam in the Hoshino, after rain fall the currents can get aggressive even for grown man to manage. There are also drop offs pits that are man made that used were used for fishing and some older period that were once filled but over time have been carved out again or eroded. I can see a child being swept out my arms if not careful.
BigP
Parents were completely at fault. He was only 4 years old.
Lindsay
Why was he not being supervised. Terrible parenting resulting in a drowning death. So sad!
Yuuju
Rest in peace, dear angel
Japantime
Unfortunately this happens in every country. I read about parents in America taking their baby on a boat trip on the hottest day last month. You’ll never guessed what happened? There should be training for parents.
quercetum
The number of parents who fail to see the potential danger playing in the river in Japan is astonishing.
Mr Kipling
$ years old and unsupervised in the river? Too late to save the kid but no criminal charges?
owzer
Seems like it happens every year. It's almost as much a part of summer as festivals or fireworks. Sad.
albaleo
Blaming the parents based on the limited information in the article seems wrong to me. Who knows what happened. Perhaps one of his brothers or sisters had distracted the parents.
Jonathan Prin
Distraction is not a reason not to remain cautious.
It is called negligence in all cases.
Sad of course, including for the failed parents.
RIP
rainyday
The mountain rivers here are so dangerous because they don’t look it at first glance. Most of them aren’t very deep so people might think they are safe, but they are extremely strong flowing and a 4 year old, or even an adult for that matter, can get sucked in and unable to escape quite easily.
If you go camping near one with kids, do not let them go in.
smithinjapan
owzer: "Seems like it happens every year."
Not only that, but every day at this time of year. Yesterday it was two people in their twenties swimming in an area closed off due to the typhoon. The day before that... well, I forget, but I have no doubt it was either a) people swimming where they shouldn't be, or b) kids swimming while parents were having a party/picnic or what have you nearby and were not paying attention. It is so utterly predictable that there are lists of how many it happens to every summer, second only to mochi deaths at New Year's. All predictable, all preventable, all tragic.
TokyoLiving
An avoidable death...
Parents, keep an eye on kids ALWAYS..
GuruMick
I swam in a small river yesterday....mostly shallow with a few holes...kids going crazy...parents on the bank drinking 100 metres away.
Thats Japan level of supervision.