national

5-year-old boy drowns in same pond where his sister drowned 5 years ago

38 Comments

A five-year-old boy drowned in a pond five years after his older sister drowned in the same pond in Mitoyo, Kagawa Prefecture.

According to police, the body of Ryuki Yano was found floating in the pond by a local resident at around the 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Fuji TV reported that the boy was in a state of cardio-respiratory arrest. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Police said the boy was last seen playing outside by his mother at around 5:40 p.m. His mother called out to him to come inside but apparently the boy went out again, without his mother knowing.

Ryuki's older sister, who was then 3, drowned in the same pond five years ago. It is about 5.5 meters deep. There is a 1.1-meter-tall fence around the pond; however, in one part, there is a walkway.

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

38 Comments
Login to comment

Oh, my. This is beyond tragic. I can't imagine the immense pain these parents must be feeling.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

Tragic

3 ( +3 / -0 )

to me... this sounds a little odd

14 ( +18 / -4 )

There is a 1.1-meter-tall fence around the pond; however, in one part, there is a walkway

.

How is there not a locked gate? What is the point of a fence if you can still enter undeterred?

5 ( +8 / -3 )

Justified or not the parents will suffer from unimaginable guilt.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Is it just me, or this really seems suspicious?

6 ( +10 / -4 )

I would look seriouly into it if I was a police officer. Sounds weird..

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Creepy. Sounds like the beginning of a horror flick.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

If I lost one child there, I'd either move away or put a locked gate.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

So you lose one child there, and let your other child play anywhere near that place? hmmm

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Rip, little one but a donkey never hits the same stone twice, but this mother does?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Oh COME On. JHC. Just baffled beyond belief. MOTHER NEEDS INVESTIGATING>

3 ( +5 / -2 )

So you lose one child there, and let your other child play anywhere near that place? hmmm

My thoughts exactly. If my kid died at some park, that would be the last place I'd ever go again.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

you'd think after the first child died, the family would avoid the pond... and teach the kids how to swim....

ya'd think...

2 ( +3 / -1 )

At that age, children need supervision.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

so sad, where are the parents?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Just a short experience I had. When our son was 4, he was playing outside. I was not that far away, but admittingly .. I should have been with him. He was playing with two other friends - a boy and girl his age. There was a big road and many times we taught our son not to go near or try to cross this road. Well, when I went to check on our son as my wife was shopping, I could not find the children anywhere. It was two hours before sunset and I panicked. The whole neighborhood joined in the search for the lost children. We crossed the road and kept calling out their names. No answer. We thought of two places they might have gone (1) a wooded area and (2) a pond that was downhill from where we were standing. I check the pond area with some people and others checked the woods. I saw footprints near the pond as it had rained the previous day. My heart began to beat even harder. We spent about an hour searching and suddenly out of the middle of the wooded area, came the children. Our son was very muddied but fine. The other girl and boy was fine. Apparently the boy began to cry and a person walking in the woods heard him.

I bring this up as the child might have wandered off without his parents knowing and possibly slipped into the pond. When I read the very sad account of the other child dying in the pond, I felt extremely sand and had flashbacks of my own experience 33 years ago! So hard for the parents ...

10 ( +11 / -1 )

investigate further! Investigate the parents!

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Readers, please do not cast aspersions on the parents.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Should be investigated as an accident and as an incident.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The same family has two children die in the same place, in the same way, and you're worried about what people will think of them. At the very least they were negligent, at most...well

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I agree with most other posters, after losing ONE child I would of made it my main mission in life to insure no other child would lose their life in the same manner. This is negligence on so many levels, the parents, the property owner, the city.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I bring this up as the child might have wandered off without his parents knowing and possibly slipped into the pond. When I read the very sad account of the other child dying in the pond, I felt extremely sand and had flashbacks of my own experience 33 years ago! So hard for the parents ...

Thanks for the story but after you had this experience, did you allow your son to return to the woods unsupervised at a young age? Even in your case where the boy returned safe and sound, I am pretty sure you never took your eyes off him especially in the woods. This mother had a 3 year daughter die in the same exact place her son died. I don't feel sad for the mother but more anger whether it was her fault or not. This could have been avoided if it was indeed accidental.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

It is a sad tragedy. After the first incident, small childrens' access to the area should have been completely blocked.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Spooky and awful.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Pretty useless fence if you can just walk over to a place where there isn't one. So, now that two little kids have died will they seal off the walkway but open another part with a latch that you can easily open? The stupidity! I feel horrible for the parents.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

when i was small we use to go play in the pond to collect tadpoles. One time, the younger kid fell off the pond and started sinking. One of the other kid tried to help but he also fell over. Luckily there was a piece of wood nearby that i found and throw it at them to stay float and were brought to safety. My reward? I was given an earful by one of the kids parents when one of the children went home all wet and lied that i pushed him to the pond. The other kid was so thankful that even after 30 years he still thank me whenever we see each other.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

It looks more like a reservoir than a pond, also looks like it would be really hard to get out once you fell in, last five feet or so if the bank is surfaced with slanted concrete blocks. Also looks like you have to climb a pretty high berm to get to where the police are looking, although maybe the boy floated across to where they're looking, from top of the berm (if location is correct).

http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2142726849458423801

http://goo.gl/maps/zf0iV

1 ( +2 / -1 )

parents need to have there children learn to swim at an early age, even if you dont live near the beach, lake etc etc. my son started to learned to swim at age 3 now aged 6 hes in the local swimming team and loves it. learning to swim wont always stop you from drowning itll increase you chances of survival 100 fold compare to somebody that cant.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Yeah, I put both my kids in swimming lessons at age 4 for that reason. Swimming is an important life skill to learn at a young age, and is something that will benefit the swimmer for their entire lives - which may be longer than if they had not learned to swim.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

That is terrible bad luck. Maybe be something needs to be done to the pond?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

These parents have two more daughters. What are the odds...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I'm so saddened to hear this... RIP little boy, you've gone where your sis has gone

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

This is seriously sad.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Maybe the parents should teach their kids to swim!

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Very sad !!... And I wold blame municipal authorities also, for this tragedy...Why they didn't make sure after the girls death, that no one else would die again? For the parents, it's an unimaginable tragedy, as both children are dead now, and for the same cause.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Thank you for posting the images Turbotsat - it definitely looks like a reservoir not a pond, and as you said, very easy to fall into & difficult for a child to get out of once they were in. I feel for the family of this child, to have already lost a daughter & now a son, it must be heartbreaking. To those who have appointed themselves Judge & Jury - I commend you on your perfect track record as parents!! I challenge any parent to say that they have never made a mistake or been careless in their role as a parent, I think great deal of us may have been "lucky" when it comes to accidents or mishaps involving our children. Maybe we should let the authorities carry out any investigations before we find them guilty?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites