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Six people drowned and two remain in comas after water-related accidents nationwide on Sunday.
Public broadcaster NHK reported that a 24-year-old man who had gone to a river to swim with friends in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, was discovered on the river bed. He was taken to hospital and later confirmed dead. Similar deaths were reported at beaches and rivers in Aichi, Kagoshima, Wakayama, Nagasaki and Sapporo.
Authorities are urging swimmers to take care as they attempt to escape the summer heat by flocking to beaches and rivers. Swimmers are warned to be particularly careful in rivers which may look calm on the surface but which may have fast currents beneath.
© Japan Today
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smithinjapan
"Authorities are urging swimmers to take care..."
Ever hear of life-guards? Can't guard all the rivers, that's for sure, but the beaches you can, and should. As for rivers that 'look calm on the surface but have fast currents beneath', stop people from swimming in them.
Apsara
There are plenty of lifeguards on beaches here, who seem to spend a lot of time urging people not to go out past their waists, and harrassing you if you do. They can't be everywhere though.
avenger
yeah, most people dont realize that you can lose consiousness in 10 seconds
AlternateUniverse
Japanese people think they can swim because the teacher had them splash about in an overcrowded shallow pool in their school days.
Maybe when the Japanese discover having deep ends to a pool, practice treading water and diving deep and swimming back to the surface, this sort of thing won't happen as much...every August...on cue.
Education would go a lot further than attempting to police every river in Japan.
noriyosan73
this is the second tragic story in JT about drowning in a river. Elementary and JH schools need to teach swimming and require 100 meter proficiency and life saving swimming cards to graduate. This senseless loss needs the education ministers attention now.
sourpuss
People do foolish things no matter where and no matter when. You can't keep leashes on people, and you can't put lifeguards everywhere. Education helps, sure, but still... people do foolish things.
JA_Cruise
Can't keep people from the rivers, my only suggestion is they wear life vests and don't go in unless others who can swim are about.
nath
Not surprised, been to a few rivers with my son and his school.
Most people go there for a nice BBQ, swig plenty of Chu-Hi's and than try to swim or play ball in the water. Bad recipe for an accident.
For the kids we were separated into 2 groups, ladies that release them upstream using floatables and had to make sure they didn't drift too far down-river(waist-deep water). Had to swim after one child for about 5 metres but we do learn rescue swimming at age 12(wearing full clothing for both).
YuriOtani
What about his "friends", why didn't they keep a closer watch on him?