Japanese Man Found Alive 15 Kilometers Out to Sea

Jakarta Globe, March 13, 2011

Hiromitsu Shinkawa waves to rescuers as they find the 60-year-old man
floating off the coast of Fukushima's Futaba town on the roof of his house
after being swept away in a tsunami. Picture: AP/Defense Ministry

Related articles

• Japan Nuclear Power Plant Partial Meltdown ‘Highly Possible’
• Japan Warns of Risk of Another Blast at Nuclear Power Plant
• Indonesian Survivors in Sendai Need Blankets, Food, Water
• Meltdowns May Have Occurred in Two Reactors: Japan Govt
• Quake Moved Japan by 2.4 Meters: USGS

A Japanese man who was swept 15 kilometers out to sea by Japan’s deadly tsunami was plucked to safety Sunday after being spotted clinging to a piece of wreckage, officials said.

A Maritime Self-Defence Force destroyer rescued 60-year-old Hiromitsu Shinkawa after discovering him floating on a piece of roof in waters off Fukushima Prefecture, two days after the disaster struck.

The man, from the city of Minamisoma which has been virtually obliterated, was swept out along with his house after the massive tsunami tore into Japan’s northeast following a 8.9-magnitude earthquake on Friday.

He is conscious and in “good condition” after his rescue which took place around 12:40 pm (0340 GMT), ministry officials said, adding that he was transported to hospital by helicopter.

“I ran away after learning that the tsunami was coming,” Shinkawa told rescuers according to Jiji Press.

Hiromitsu Shinkawa, wrapped in a blanket, is lifted to a
Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer following his
rescue on Sunday March 13. Picture: AP/Defense
Ministry

“But I turned back to pick up something at home, when I was washed away. I was rescued while I was hanging to the roof from my house.”

The government has said that at least 1,000 people are believed to have lost their lives in the disaster, and police estimate more than 215,000 people are huddled in emergency shelters.

However, the police chief of badly-hit Miyagi prefecture, which lies north of Fukushima, said that the death toll was certain to exceed 10,000 in his district alone.

Agence France-Presse

Related Article:

ABC World News, Mar 14, 2011

A four-month-old baby girl is rescued in Ishinomaki, northern Japan, three days the initial tsunami

A Japan Self-Defense Force member reacts after rescuing a four-month-old
baby girl in Ishinomaki, northern Japan, Monday, March 14, 2011, three days
after a powerful earthquake-triggered tsunami hit the country’s east coast.
(AP Photo/The Yomiuri Shimbun, Hiroto Sekiguchi)

A beautiful, and much needed moment of joy.