FUKUSHIMA,
— A 60-year-old man drifting about 10 miles off the shores of Fukushima
Prefecture after being washed out to sea by Friday’s tsunami was
rescued Sunday.
destroyed house about 10 miles off Futabamachi, Fukushima Prefecture,
when he was rescued by the Chokai, a Maritime Self-Defense Force Aegis
destroyer two days after Friday’s gigantic earthquake.
According to the
office of the Joint Staff, the Chokai’s crew sighted Shinkawa waving
his arms on the drifting roof on the sea, picked him up and used its
ship-based helicopter to transport him to a hospital in Fukushima
Prefecture.
At the time of the tsunami, Shinkawa was in his house in Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture.
According to the ministry, one of the crew on watch
with binoculars beside the bridge shouted, “A survivor is waving their
hands.”
Shinkawa was about 4 miles north of the Chokai, whose crew sighted him waving amid other drifting debris.
The crew went to alert status and the ship’s
intercom announced, “We’ve found a survivor and are heading for
rescue.” The Chokai lit its search lights, blew a whistle and increased
speed a minute later.
The crew found Shinkawa sitting on the drifting roof and told him through a loudspeaker, “We are coming to your rescue.”
When the crew lowered a small boat, Shinkawa waved and shouted, “Please help me quickly.”
Though Shinkawa looked exhausted, he was brought
into the Chokai, bathed and ate rice porridge and other food. Then he
recovered his composure and described the two days since he was washed
out to the sea.
When the first tremor hit, Shinkawa left his home
but then returned to retrieve his belongings. It was then that the
tsunami engulfed him.
He was washed away by the waves but was able to
climb onto the roof of his house, which stayed largely intact as it
washed out to sea. On the roof, Shinkawa awaited rescue.
His wife, who was with him when the tsunami struck, was washed away by the waves.
During the ordeal, Shinkawa had two bottles of
nutrition drink on him, and he decided to consume half a bottle a day.
When rescued Sunday, he had just consumed the last mouthful of the
drink.
Shinkawa told the crew: “It was my only energy source. I consumed the last of it, thinking I’d die today.”
There was much drifting debris, which repeatedly
bumped into the floating roof. Shinkawa retrieved a helmet he found
floating on the sea and wore it to protect his head from the shocks.
Shinkawa also picked up a drifting futon and blanket, and used them to endure the cold weather.
He attempted to signal many passing helicopters and ships by waving, but they did not notice him.
When the Chokai’s searchlights locked onto him,
Shinkawa finally was assured of rescue. By then, he had drifted about
15 miles from his house’s original location.
Shinkawa told the crew, “Men should not give up.”
But the crew said he was shedding tears worrying about whether his wife
was alive.
Then the Chokai’s helicopter took Shinkawa to a hospital in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture.
Hospital staff said although Shinkawa had scratches
on his face and arms, he had no life-threatening conditions and was
able to walk on his own. After he received medical treatment, an
ambulance transported Shinkawa to a relative’s house in the city.
who is an expert on tsunami, said, “When a tsunami hits, many people
fail to escape and either drown, or are injured by floating debris.
“As the wall of the water was approaching, it was a
miracle that he had the presence of mind to climb onto the roof. Once
the roof moved offshore, it could remain afloat as the sea there was
calm. In contrast to simply floating in the sea, he was able to prevent
body temperature loss as he was on the roof, and thus was able to
conserve his physical energy. So it makes sense that he could survive
for two days,” Tsuji said.
———
(c) 2011, The Yomiuri Shimbun.
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