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Man, 2 boys drown off Akita beach

14 Comments

A man in his 50s and two young boys drowned in Akita Prefecture, police said Monday.

According to police, the two young boys, aged 5 and 9, were swimming at a beach in Oga when they were swept out to sea by the current at around 5 p.m. on Sunday. TV Asahi reported that a man in his 50s swam out in an attempt to rescue the boys, but he also got into difficulty and went under.

The three victims were pulled out of the water by a fisherman and taken to hospital where they were confirmed dead, police said.

Police say the three were part of a 10-person group attending a barbecue at the beach.

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14 Comments
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All the laws in he world will not help if common folk do not have any common sense!! Why let 2 small kids play by the sea without any adult supervision?? Too busy getting drunk?? Stupid stupid parents!!!!!!!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Mirai... It was a BBQ party, ofcourse the ignorant parents must be enjoying beer n beef as the kids swam away! Just a bad accident!! RIP all

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Good bye brave man. Swimming vests please.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

A 5 and a 9 year old? Where the hell were the parents?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The man didn't know what he was doing. It's extremely difficult to rescue people without using floating objects. If you just grab someone, you both go under, that's why multiple drownings are so common.

In the Hollywood movies, the hero quickly dives in the water. But that's stupid. In reality, the hero would first find a boat, raft, lifejacket, or floatation item, etc. before going in.

"Japanese friends say that lakes are dangerous places in which to swim."

Apparently it's because the Japanese fear deep water, and lakes tend to lack shallow areas. I've never seen a deep end at a public pool here. But if you can swim in deep water, then lakes would be a lot safer.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Mandatory swimming proficiency in PE classes. A law that requires children to wear life jackets would also help.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Japanese friends say that lakes are dangerous places in which to swim.

Japanese are not used to being out of their depth.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Rip currents don't just appear at random. Certain beaches - because of their location in relation to prevailing winds - will get the rip currents and there should be warnings posted on those beaches to that effect.

A sad ending to what was supposed to have been a fun outing.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Brave man!

RIP all three! This tells us that nothing is secure when it comes to mother nature! Be careful always!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

What a selfless act of bravery, very courageous. May they all rest in peace.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Whenever I read stories about people drowning because of rip tides it makes me wonder why so many of my Japanese friends say that lakes are dangerous places in which to swim.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

That so sad why parents leave their kid swimming alone. And can you imaging 5 and 9 years old kid. they don't understand the way of safety much.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Was the kind man, RIP, who went out to save them part of the BBQ? If not, what were the people at the BBQ doing not watching the kids?

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

According to police, the two young boys, aged 5 and 9, were swimming at a beach in Oga when they were swept out to sea by the current at around 5 p.m. on Sunday.

It looks like they got caught up in a rip current.

A swimmer caught in a rip current should not attempt to swim back to shore directly against the rip. This risks exhaustion and drowning. A rip does not pull a swimmer under water; it carries the swimmer away from the shore in a narrow channel of water.The rip is like a treadmill which the swimmer needs to step off. The swimmer should remain calm and swim parallel to the shore until he or she is outside of the current. Then, locations to aim for are places where waves are breaking. In these areas, floating objects are generally transported towards the shore.

Very sad. RIP.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

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