Police said Sunday that a 19-year-old swimming pool lifeguard apparently drowned in an indoor pool in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture.
According to police, the incident occurred at the Akibadai Park indoor pool on Saturday night. The youth was identified as Kensuke Nishio, a university student who worked part-time as a lifeguard.
Fuji TV reported that Nishio had been swimming with five other colleagues at around 9 p.m. after the pool closed for the night. His colleagues were quoted by police as saying that he went underwater and was unconscious when they brought him up. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police said they will continue to question the group as to the circumstances surrounding the incident.
© Japan Today
22 Comments
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Frungy
If he came up unconscious then his lungs weren't full of water. Despite what you may have seen on CSI, people who inhale large amounts of water sink.
I'm with you on this one zichi, an infarction, although it could have been a cardiac (heart) or cerebral (brain) infarction.
Either way, this article is misleading, I'm sure that an autopsy will confirm that while there may have been a little water present in his lungs the cause of death wasn't drowning, but rather a heart attack or stroke. He was dead before he came up.
mito
My friend is working as a lifeguard, and when I asked her about her skills/training, she said she could hardly swim, and had only a very short training sessions. Don't assume your child's lifeguard knows what s/he is doing.
Meguroman
With 5 colleagues who are lifeguards or at least work at a pool and would presumably be familiar with basic rescue techniques? Was alcohol involved? If not, this is bizarre.
The Chronic
It's like about 95% of the so called 'surfers' in Japan. They have no idea how to surf, they just wanna look cool carrying a surf board up and down the beach.
Guy probably hit his head or something.....RIP dude.
noriyosan73
Swimming in rivers, canoeing in rivers, now swimming in a controlled environment. Swimming proficiency is more important than running around a track or making a pyramid on Sports Day for junior high schools students. These deaths can be prevented if someone changes the PE requirements and TRADITIONS.
Speed
There was a "lifeguard" last year at a beach near here. A teenage boogieboarder was being pulled out past the jetty by the current and the "lifeguard" slowly and nonchalantly threw a buoy ring at him. Landed way behind the kid and a surfer went and pulled the kid in.
cleo
According to the vernacular Nikkan Sports, the lifeguards were swimming in the pool after it had closed when they found the 19-year-old in the centre of the pool, on the bottom.
http://www.nikkansports.com/general/news/f-gn-tp0-20130512-1125851.html
JeanValJean
The Chronic, your 95% figure is a bit exaggerated, but there ARE a large number with no manners or swimming ability.
Very sad about this person. As Frungy mentioned, there may have been an infarction. An autopsy should shed light on this tragic death.
ChibaChick
Sudden unexpected heart attacks are known to happen sometimes in young men (late teens through to mid-twenties) but it is pretty rare. Hopefully an autopsy will reveal what happened, but meanwhile feel sorry for his poor family and the friends who were with him.
Get Real
Mito and Speed,
I bet the lifeguards you mention looked the part, though!
afanofjapan
Wrestling game went a bit out of control. Of course none of his friends know what happened... they are probably guilty
Dennis Bauer
@zichi or foul play?
therougou
Is it possible they were seeing who could stay underwater longer and took it too far?
tmarie
Lifeguards and pool safety here are a joke. At the pools I've been to they're usually old farts who couldn't lift a kid out of the pool if their lives depended on it. As a former lifeguard I am always shocked at how lax the rules are and how untrained the folks seem to be. The only thing they are good at is making sure everyone gets out of the pool for that damn radio taiso.
RIP. 19 is far too young.
mikihouse
he drowned or commited suicide? another possibility
jinkoenig
He might get an electric shock or not? Because our lifeguard has to clean job after pool close then we use a cleaning robot. This cleaning robot is need an electric power from somewhere socket. Even if he had been wet, he might be got an electric shock probably. Of course, I always beware about electric shock in a pool.
Maitake
This is kind of ironic... sad, but ironic.
nath
ChibaChick - I see you absolutely no understanding of how often or when autopsies are performed in Japan!
Elbuda Mexicano
How sad!! And only 19???? Poor kid!! RIP