Niagara Falls search for Japanese woman turns up man's body

I hope the woman defies all expectations and turns up alive.

I hope the woman defies all expectations and turns up alive.

I hope so 2.

Only 19. So sad. Her family must be going through hell.

“The subject female was observed climbing over the railing and straddling it while looking out at the falls,” Inspector Paul Forcier said. “She was holding an umbrella at the time.”

This is so dumb, but says a lot...

Canadian police divers discovered the remains of an unidentified man on Monday while searching for the body of a young Japanese woman

There's always a silver lining.

Unlikely she is alive. The base of the falls is a collection of massive boulders. So no miracle swan dives into a deep pool for her. Happens every couple of years. They put the fence up for a reason.

Accidental idiot ! ! !

RESPECT NATURE

I don`t have sympathy for stupid people. I went there when I was a kid and visited the place 3 years ago.

Do we have to put up 8 foot fence everywhere for stupid people ?

I went to Nikko a few months ago. i didn`t want to climb it and straddle it ????

Mr perfect (whiskeysour), we ALL make stupid, even life threatning mistakes, especially at that age. She was just unlucky. So sad. My heart goes out to her friends/family who had to witness it. I hope they too can find peace.

naruto357 - No, I stand by what I said, if you ever been there.

THERE ARE 100`s , no 1000 thousands of warning signs saying the currents are dangerous.

it`s not a creek or a river

a 4yr. old or 5yr. old

I would understand but even candian kids are not that stupid to ( straddle) jump the railing and fall in the water.

The currents above and below the falls are swift and treacherous. The Horseshoe falls on the Canadian site is fairly vertical, clean and deep which rolling currents that keep objects in swirling in place for some time. It just goes to show that it's not a good idea to violate safety rules...I think it's also against Canadian Niagara Parks Act to climb over the safety wall. Beauty can be deceiving on how dangerous something can be. The scariest place I ever been is at Glacier Point in Yosemite. There are safety walls but there are areas where there isn't any. Not to mention the drive you when you are on the outside of a hairpin turn with no railings on a road width that reminds me of side streets in Tokyo. Give me chills thinking about it. The young tend to be fearless. Why else are soldiers mainly in their teens and 20s.

This is sad and tragic, but I have to agree a candiate for the Darwin awards. Just does not make sense to take that kind of risk. People need a stronger grasp of reality in this world.

Sad for the family....but a 19 year old should have the common sense.....

Stupid woman, feel sorry she had to die but what an idiot for climbing on the fence.

She was just unlucky.

She was not just unlucky. Unlucky would have been if a huge wind picked up her umbrella and dropped her in the river. She made the decision to climb over the fence that was put there to protect her.

There's also the outside chance it was a suicide. Niagara falls does have a reputation of being a romantic place, maybe she was single and lonely?

The fence was there for a reason climb it at your own peril, as this girl found out. Stupid is as stupid does.

Since I am in Toronto right now (where this news story is featured on the TV news) and since I grew up in Niagara Falls, I would like to add a few points to the story.

Many, many people straddle the fences just above the falls and pose for pictures. Today they had a news crew filming a news story at the spot where this girl fell in, and there were a number of young adults standing, sitting and posing on the fence, even with a Niagara Parks policeman standing right there looking at them. The police stated all the signs in the world will not stop people from doing foolish things. One girl was asked by the camera crew why would you climb the fence and she just laughed it off saying it was only for a few seconds for a photo. So to Maitake and Whiskeysour who said "even Canadians are not that stupid"--I hate to say it, but they are that stupid.

In any case, condolences to the family. Something as silly as a photo or moment of bravado and a loss of balance has ended the life of a young lady and will affect her family and relatives for many, many years.

Poor girl and family. Holding an umbrella? Just like riding a bicycle with an umbrella, climbing fences in front of a waterfall is dangerous.

I wonder did she pose with that idiotic "peace" sign with her fingers. Can her relatives sue her traveling partners for negligence under Japanese law?

Sad for her to die this way, but when you stradle a fence above a steep fall, you are taking the risks all on your own.

Maybe she thought she was Mary Poppins. I lived in Niagara Falls and you just do not do that. I'd love to have typed in all caps for that but you get my message. It just does not happen. If locals had been around, they'd have told her to get the hell down. Unfortunate stupid accident. Darwinism at its best.

With all the hell happening in Japan it greatly saddens me to hear this news. It was extremely irresponsible and foolish of her but she was a young woman. I hope, against all odds, she turns up alive. Very sad.

Geez, whiskeysour, she didn't mean to fall in the river. It obviously wasn't smart what she did but does she deserve to die for a youthful mistake? I think not.

You know what's even more stupid? The fact that tourists know it's dangerous to climb over those rails, and yet in the absence of patrolling staff (who regularly yell at people who risk their lives for a photo op), they themselves do absolutely nothing when they see people climbing over the barriers.

How many reporters thus far have mentioned witness testimony from people who saw this young woman climbing the rails? Niagara falls is always crowded at this time of the year. I'm sure there were other people mere feet away from this Japanese student. I bet none of them did anything. I bet none of them said anything. If so, then they are all just as responsible.

True, this lady did something stupid and has, in all likelihood, paid the ultimate price for it. But what of the people around her? What of the person who was taking the picture?

Apparently, they're all stupid, too.

Agree with whiskeysour: This girl is 19-yrs old. I too, do NOT have any sympathy for stupidity! With 100's of WARNING SIGNS in place, how can u be that dumb?

Darwin Awward for her?

Not surprised that they turned up another body, I am sure many unreported people go over those falls. Out of curiosity are they still turned off at night?

Yep... someone's digi cam has a few clues. Must admit the kids next door were straddling the railing 5 stories up (laughing) when they were 5 or 6, death was right there. The Japanese by nature are daredevils. Very surprised no one has fell out of my building yet. Whether they are riding bicycles (two killed so far outside my place), not using crosswalks, driving like maniacs or hanging by waterfalls.... the Japanese are daredevils and pay at times. Nuff said. Every summer around this time one or two take a plunge overseas...I think last year it was a HS girl in Thailand out a hotel window.

Just saw it on TV. She sat straddling a low fence right by the edge, lost her balance and....

What kind of comment is "Out of curiosity are they still turned off at night?"

It is a waterfall for goodness sakes..they don't get turned off at night as if they are a faucet.

Do some research many falls are controlled now by man-made means.

whiskysour - "a 4yr. old or 5yr. old I would understand but even candian kids are not that stupid to ( straddle) jump the railing and fall in the water."

I guess you didn't read the article that stated a 29 year old Canadian man fell over the fence in a different area, the SAME day, but with dumb luck. only broke his leg.

I have been to Niagara falls probably six times. Almost once a year in the past three years. The fences are stone, 3-4 feet tall, approximately 2-3 feet thick, which makes it easy to sit on, stand on. At night it is definitely not as busy as you think. I've been there in October at night and it is dead quiet.

^ Aquatic valve controls for either pressure or level are, AFAIK, implemented only in dams or on waterways that require ship locks. I believe the hydro dams are downstream from the tourist spots. The more "scenic" areas of Niagara Falls where tourists converge most often do not have any such facilities built on them (not that I've seen anyway). The water flow on both the American and Canadian sightseeing sides are still natural and uncontrolled.

So, as far as the area where this student fell is concerned, no, the falls cannot be "turned off".

To all those who think this girl was dumb: All 19 year olds do dumb things. When you are 50 you will look back and wonder how could i have been so foolish to think otherwise and so callous to not think of the parents pain at their loss.

http://www.niagarafrontier.com/faq.html#how

http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110815/110815_niagara_search/20110815/?hub=CP24Home

The above link is to an article with a lot more detail. The accident was caught by a security camera. The Japanese embassy in Toronto hasn't been able to reach the parents yet even after more than 24 hours later.... someone really needs to PICK UP THE PHONE~

Mark.

It is O-bon in japan, a major travelling time so they might not be home for days.

Good link, tragic story. Cheers. She was going down the river for a few hundred feet before going over...sad. 11 million people a year... wow... that is almost twice the chance of a plane crash for you.

MoriNoHogosha

so, then they are all just as responsible.

How can these other people be responsible for this persons stupidity, she is soley responsible not everyone else in the world.

Thats the trouble with the world today the PC brigade have removed the individuals responsibilty and none of them are accountable for their own actions these days. YOU do a stupid thing and die its YOUR fault not everyone elses sheeeeeesh !

I have no idea what whiskeysour is talking about. Hong Kong Media has a news report of the EXACT location of where she fell. There is only ONE sign and guess what? There are tons of canadians/americans tourists standing on the rails, extremely dangerously to take pictures. Sorry but this is not just one stupid girl, it seems very common. Look at the video

http://youtu.be/SjZrVw9gnUg

You can see several people standing way too close over the edge..a simple gust of wind or a bump from someone and they will fall to their deaths.

In other words whiskeysour is way too harsh on this young girl. She made a stupid mistake...and will never be able to learn from it.

I could have/ should have been killed a couple of dozens times by the time I was 19. Poor girl.

In the first place, I wouldn't even go to the Niagara Falls, or Iguaçu FallsI(in Brazil). It's not interesting to go to these risky areas. I don't know why they go. Well, if they really want to go, stay far away. Besides, I do think the patrols of the Niagara Falls should be more responsible. More than that, there must be more protecting barriers. In other words, it should be a Fool proof place.

The water vaporizes, everything is very slippery there.

she climbed over the railing and straddled it

Maybe were posing for photo? Nobody warned her or held her back? Could have save her life. What a heavy price to pay for a childish prank.

If you see a parent smacking their child around, you would surely intervene or at least call child services, right?

Yet, if you see someone doing something potentially deadly like climbing over the guards surrounding a rather large and extremely powerful waterway, you wouldn't do or say anything? What if it was your kid trying to climb over those rails?

THAT is the real trouble with the world today. They are quick to blame and insult parties involved in any particular incident yet completely ignore the lack of social integrity and responsibility. Yes, people are most certainly responsible for their actions, but that doesn't always mean everyone else off the hook.

Perhaps someone was close enough to hold her back, perhaps not. It doesn't take self-righteous duty and springing boldly into action like some superhero wannabe to save a life. Sometimes, all it takes is a, "Don't climb over that, or you might kill yourself, you f-ing moron!"

The on site footage didn't fullfil my image of "security railing". Even I wouldn't climb on that railing!

this "woman" could have actually been a man and they did indeed find "her"

Such a sad loss of life if she's gone, but seriously, at 24 years old, she should have known better than to even think of straddling the railings!

Im more sympathetic than whiskysour. However, I have to agree with whiskysour that this was just a stupid, needless death, and most likely it is a death. I mean what GROWN up woman does something like this unless she has a mental disorder, and if her mental disorder is this bad, she shouldnt be allowed to travel alone unsupervised.

Hate to say it but this kind of clumsiness and lack of awareness is fairly typical among Japanese. One would think they would have learned the limits of their own strength and agility, but no, so many don't. Everything is so structured and dumbed down here too. One little curve ball and its game over. Swimming classes are good example of dumbed down and structured. Its great that nearly all Japanese can swim, but also nearly all Japanese are not very skilled or versatile swimmers.

I tend to think that if she was a fairly good swimmer, with any awareness, could have made it to safety if she could stand up at all. I mean she did not just get instantly swept away it seems.

Her picture and story should be put on a signboard on the fence as a warning to other umbrella carrying dare-devils.

So sad and I can oly think about her friend who saw her fall.

@ It's Me- the falls haven't been "turned off" since 1969 (to repair & reinforce the rock face of the falls). However, the flow is reduced ~50% at night (& during the winter) as water is diverted to nearby hydroelectric plants. On average 5700 m3 of water flow over the falls every second- even reducing that by 75% is still a lot of water flowing very fast.

Everyone there gets a picture taken standing against the railing. Sounds like she just went a step further & decided to sit on the railing. Not a good idea, but not as stupid as actually climbing over the railing. The umbrella probably didn't help- the falls generate a lot of currents which could've caught it & pulled her in.

@MoriNoHogosha,

If you see a parent smacking their child around, you would surely intervene or at least call child services, right?

Yet, if you see someone doing something potentially deadly like climbing over the guards surrounding a rather large and extremely powerful waterway, you wouldn't do or say anything? What if it was your kid trying to climb over those rails?

You're comparing apples to oranges. Someone beating on a child is someone endangering SOMEONE ELSE who is unable to defend themself. MY kid climbing the wall? Of course I'd do something because the child is my responsibility after all. A 19-year-old ADULT putting herself at risk (and in every country EXCEPT Japan, apparently, she was an adult) is AN ADULT endangering ONLY herself. She's merely submitting her application for a Darwin Award and whether she wins the award is up to Fate to decide. It is HER responsibility and no one else's to control her body - not her friends and certainly not strangers in the immediate area.

very sad story, i think people here are being mean & rude. when i went to Niagara in 08 it was scarey looking down But the barrier was there & it was about chest high, you Really have to be carefull & mainly watch kids. because they are more likely to fall. i Didn't see anyone climbing the rails or playing around them.

To whiskeysour and everyone who agrees with him, I offer my congratulations. You apparently are the only people on this planet who never did anything really stupid when you were 19.

My condolences to her family, following this tragic accident..

The fence there is very low (4 feet) and there is a handy step around 2 feet up. By making it so easy to climb over, there is a subliminal message saying "it's safe". And not everyone will understand warning signs written in English. In my opinion, the fence could be made safer without affecting people's enjoyment and ability to get a good photo.

@Photoman333

To whiskeysour and everyone who agrees with him, I offer my congratulations. You apparently are the only people on this planet who never did anything really stupid when you were 19.

I don't believe anybody here has claimed they never did anything stupid at 19. What most of these people are saying is that at 19 you are responsible for your own actions and any consequences of those actions should have been accepted beforehand. This was not a "child" except maybe in her mother's eyes. This was an adult.

@JonathanJo

The fence there is very low (4 feet) and there is a handy step around 2 feet up. By making it so easy to climb over, there is a subliminal message saying "it's safe". And not everyone will understand warning signs written in English.

A 2-foot riser is not a "step", it's a platform for younger kids to stand on so they can see over the 4-foot fence. As for the subliminal message of "it's safe", that's just wishful thinking on your part. If it was "safe", then why put a fence there at all?

It's POSSIBLE she was unable to read signs in English, but even I know what "abunai" means and I've never been to Japan. You would think she would have acquainted herself with the basic safety warnings she might encounter. Regardless, she could SEE the rushing water and FEEL the power of the falls even from where she was. There really is no need to be warned in writing about what would happen if you fell in. She took all that in and climbed the fence anyway. She took the risk and paid the price (yes, I have no doubt she died after going over the falls). It was her choice and she chose poorly.

idiot. There is a reason why there is a metal guard railing around the edge. This is apparently where she fell from, a look-out place called Table Rock.

http://locale.niagaraparks.com/images2/Table_Rock_aerial.jpg

Smack dab in the middle of the picure is probably where she fell from. Its pretty much railing/wall - river then about 2 seconds later, over the falls.

table_rock_aerial.jpg

japantoday apparently didn't want to put the underscores between the words...

and its doing it again...

Stupidity at it's finiest IMO. Yeah it's sad that she died so young but there are warning signs EVERYWHERE stating not to step over the barriers. You play with fire you get burned, simple as that.

'I wonder did she pose with that idiotic "peace" sign with her fingers. Can her relatives sue her traveling partners for negligence under Japanese law?"

A peace sign isn't idiotic at all since she'd still have use of that hand to secure herself cae need. Holding an umbrella is what's idiotic. And as stupid as she seemed based on the strory, those who hav been there have made it clear that "everybody does it" locals and tourists alike, Clearly the safety system needs to be re-evaluated.

And as stupid as she seemed based on the strory, those who hav been there have made it clear that "everybody does it" locals and tourists alike, Clearly the safety system needs to be re-evaluated.

"Everybody" is (like it usually is) an exaggeration. I've been to the falls and never once considered climbing over the fence. So "everybody" DOESN'T do it. There's nothing wrong with the safety system. There's the fence to prevent little kids from dashing over the edge and signs for those old enough to read saying not to climb the fence. At some point the people breaking the rules have to be responsible for their own actions. Stop trying to make the authorities responsible for individual stupidity.

Sure not everyone does it...but as Hong Kong's media report shows even while they were filming several tourists did stupid things such as bending over the rails to take pictures.

MapleG - She was carrying an umbrella. She`s not Mary Poppins !!!!!

Stupidity rate - 1 out of 1000 people who visit Niagra do fall into the abyss ( carrying an umbrella ).

Sorry my bad MapleG !!!!

photozude551 & Mark braidsly - it`s ok. I can say what I want. Next time I will jump in front of train tracks and take a picture of pink elephants.

Did her took a picture?

they found her body today