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8-yr-old boy, 65-yr-old man swept away by waves in Hokkaido

8 Comments

An 8-year-old boy and a 65-year-old man went missing on Sunday after being swept away by waves while salmon fishing in Sarufutsu, Hokkaido.

According to police, the boy was fishing with a friend and his friend's grandfather at about 10 a.m. when a wave swept him away, Sankei Shimbun reported. The grandfather went in to try and save the boy but he, too, was swept away, police said.

Police continued their search all Sunday afternoon but were unable to find either the boy or the man.

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8 Comments
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That is very, very sad. One of the great things as a young boy is doing cool stuff with your Pop, as it is no doubt for a grandparent. Unfortunately, rock fishing is dangerous.

Sounds like the old man was courageous.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Whether fishing from a boat or from rocks at the water's edge, wearing life jackets is a must. Might have saved both lives. How traumatic for the boy who witnessed his friend and grandfather both being swept away by what was probably a rogue wave. I do applaud the older gentleman for his efforts to save his grandson's friend.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I agree that this is very sad but as a diver I would never attempt to rescue someone if I would endanger my own live, obviously the article is not stating a lot of information so who knows what happen?

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

Jan is right. It's really difficult -- and dangerous -- to rescue a person who is drowning, unless you have equipment. That's why so many drownings are multiple.

Diving in may look heroic, but the wise thing is to first look for a long stick or something that floats. And then you attempt the rescue from the land.

Grabbing a drowning person in deep water will usually make the both of you sink.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I agree with the facts in Jan and Jeff's posts, but then, if your grandson is drowning, and you don't have a long stick or something that floats, and especially if you were responsible for grandson being at the water's edge in the first place that I think I would jump in, or that even I hope I would jump in, even knowing how slim my chances.

But then, perhaps I have been in Japan too long and, in part at least, see myself, as an adult, and perhaps especially as an adult male, as considerably, or to a Japanese level, more expendable than my children. I mean to ask, do, by other standards, Japanese adult males sacrifice themselves a bit too much for their [grand]children? Do Jan and Jeff think that the brave granddad might better have thought, "I am valuable to those that will survive, to my other grandchildren, so I should not add tragedy to tragedy, and not do something that may so probably result in my being sacrificed myself too"?

From my point of view, this is a sad story with a brave granddad.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I made a mistake; This grand father saved his grandson's friend. But all the same the gist of my post above stands. Braver still. Wow.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

What a sad, sad news! I really doubt anybody could be calm during such a tragic event, maybe the grandfather panicked?? Who knows?? Anyway RIP

1 ( +1 / -0 )

some people's victim-blaming mentality.... wtf?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

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