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A 74-year-old man was found dead on the ground outside a cabin beside his home in Yokote, Akita Prefecture, after he apparently fell from the roof while clearing snow.
According to police, Shigeru Awazu was found by his family members just before 7 p.m. on Wednesday. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival, TV Asahi reported.
Police found both a snow shovel nearby, and a ladder propped up against the cabin, leading them to believe that the man may have fallen while trying to remove snow from the roof.
There have have been a number of similar deaths in northern Japan this month. Authorities have cautioned elderly people to be careful when clearing snow from the rooftops.
© Japan Today
15 Comments
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tamedcat
The elderly dies every winter while cleaning snow off the roof. Be more careful.
Knox Harrington
This happens on multiple occasions, year after year after year. No surprise here. It's like these old fools have a death wish, for surely, they are aware of the dangers, no?
lucabrasi
@Knox
Lighten up, it's Christmas! He was probably very aware of the dangers of a collapsed roof due to the weight of snow, and did what he thought he had to do.
Same age as my old man... RIP.
Knox Harrington
luca,
I'm alit, alright. These old people (of which there are a multitude here) always overestimate their own abilities. That's the problem. A 74-year old has no business on s slippery roof. Best yhing would be to ask for help. Professional help. Maybe from the city...
wipeout,
What's with the confrontational tone? You have no idea how much snow I shovel in a year. You talk about passing comment, but I think you are doing a pretty bang up job at that yourself.
Now go get your shine box!
Ranger_Miffy2
Why aren't houses built with more extreme degrees of roofs, as they were in the past? No need to shovel off tons of snow with a steep roof that lets it just slide off!
avigator
I suppose that with all previous accidents and deaths, the neighbothood chief could devise a volunteer squad to help the elderly. Or they could invent a mechaical way to push snow down without a need to climb the roof.
F4HA604
Have you guys seen these cities along the Sea of Japan during winter?
The roofs are slanted, but the snow is super sticky and it snows so much. Moreover, these deaths happen in rural areas where there aren't enough people to go around cleaning all the snow, which after all keeps replenishing itself. The civil servants are up to their necks clearing snow from public buildings and roads, and they do in fact try to help the elderly with priority.
Go look up the ranking of top 10 snowiest cities http://www.accuweather.com/en/features/trend/top-10-snowiest-major-cities-a/23760437
Kittychosen
But they could build houses that have rooves with a steeper pitch.
incognito12
@Knox Wow! I hope you stay young forever.
kiwiboy
See old people clearing their roofs here in Nagano all the time. It looks so dangerous. I'm in my late 20s but you wouldn't get me up there! Hoping we don't have to read too many more of these stories this winter.
GP_1639
It seems every year I read the same headline. Are stricter measures needed to ensure the safety of the elderly?
nath
Would you prefer to read the headlines of people dying because their roofs caved in, and they either got crushed by the snow, or froze to death because they had no roof?
LaWren
Stricter measures, GP? Let people take care of themselves, roofs need clearing, ideally people wouldnt get hurt or killed doing so, but it is not beneficial for the government to get involved, there is enough Big Brother is watching you already in the world today without legislating against old men clearing their own property.