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5 children swept out to sea in Miyazaki; one drowns

27 Comments

An 11-year-old girl drowned after she and four other children were swept out to sea while playing at the shore in Hyuga, Miyazaki Prefecture.

Police said that the five children were swimming at Isagahama beach at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Fuji TV reported that the beach was not open for swimming and the waves were higher than usual due to an approaching typhoon.

According to police, Mana Inadome and a friend were swept out to sea and three junior-high students who tried to help them were also caught in the current. Four children were able to make it back to shore with the help of a rescue team. But Inadome was unconscious. She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.

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27 Comments
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Let's recap: Five children swimming at a beach that's not open for swimming, heavy surf because of an approaching typhoon. What's missing?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

at a beach that's not open for swimming

Doesn't mean much. The beaches in Japan are often not open for swimming.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Horrific. Swimming at that age without an adult and in such condition is never a good idea. RIP to the poor kid. Thoughts to the family. 11 is old enough to be out on her own but kids need to be taught what is safe and what isn't. Clearly this wasn't safe.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

It's better to keep away from the sea when a typhoon is approaching.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

And the daily dose of stupidity is in. I mean, is it NOT common sense that you do NOT swim or even stay close to river banks or ocean shores when a TYPHOON is approaching?? Sweet lord... RIP to the victim and I'm glad the others made it back and realize you should never do such things.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

This is so sad. When beaches are 'not open' for swimming it means they are 'not safe' for swimming. Most people probably are aware of the official dates. The 11 year old girl may not have been (told).

3 ( +5 / -2 )

When beaches are 'not open' for swimming it means they are 'not safe' for swimming.

No it doesn't. It means staff is not hired for that time and is not there regardless of it being safe or not. Lifeguards will most certainly be at the beach when they are hired and paid, even on days that are not safe to swim. Someone has to yell at the idiots that try and swim on typhoon days. Japan doesn't generally swim in the ocean from Sept-end of June regardless of how safe the water is so no lifeguards until then.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Another parenting failure.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Sad and angry. Poor kid. Let's hope she didn't head to beach with the intent to kill herself and almost killed those who rushed to save her.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Someone has to yell at the idiots that try and swim on typhoon days

I wasn't thinking of the kids as idiots and voting down someone's opinion (do they understand English?) means what?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

It's better to keep away from the sea when a typhoon is approaching.

good advice, you do that, typhoon brings the best surf to the coast of Japan, more waves for me

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Well I think anyone who thinks going swimming before a typhoon needs their head examined - if the kids live that close to the ocean for an afternoon swim after school, someone should have taught them that! At 11 the girl should've been taught that. I think what happened is tragic and like so many of these accidents, it was totally preventable. However, if adults don't take the time to educate kids about such things, I think the idiots are the adults who failed at educating the youth on being safe.

And plenty of idiot adult surfers go surfing just before.after and during typhoons.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

tmarie: "However, if adults don't take the time to educate kids about such things, I think the idiots are the adults who failed at educating the youth on being safe."

I don't think there is any possible way you could survive to be 11 years old an not know that kind of thing, even IF your parents or school didn't educate you on such matters.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I think the local media needs to incorporate a system similarly used by U.S. Forces whereby local sea conditions are posted on the TV screens. Something to the effect of "Sea Condition - All Clear", "Sea Condition - Caution", "Sea Condition - Warning". Each one of these levels need to have a definition for all citizens to follow. A coloring system is also a good idea. Having these levels shown on local TV in the upper left or right hand of the screen would be really good. Everyone watches TV. Same for typhoon conditions. Here in Japan everything is based on whether the buses are operating. Not reliable. They should use a typhoon approach condition of readiness system with each level defined so that everyone knows. Unfortunately Japanese citizens living near military installations can no loner see the local typhoon conditions as AFN (American Forces Network) TV has gone to local satellite and can only be viewed by authorized Department of Defense personnel. Just sayin'. Now on to the story...conditions posted or not, this should NEVER have happened, kids swimming without adult supervision - illegal in some countries I believe. A young 11 year old girl gone. Very sad and way too tragic. I feel for the family and her friends. Sad day to say the least and this was only a tropical storm. Rest in Peace little one.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Smith, kids don't generally check the weather. These kids probably had zero idea about an incoming typhoon.

Tom, the news DOES report such things. The tides, the time, the size of the waves. Every night and every morning. And no, not everyone watches TV or the news. Many kids go from school/club to juku, home, games.

Kids at this age swimming happens everywhere all the time. And can you find me a country where being 11 legally needs adult supervision? I am usually one of those "where were the parents" posters but 11 is old enough to be out on their own. Swimming on their own? Certainly not but kids don't tell their parents everything they are doing 24 hours a day. Drownings are not the same as some three year old being left alone to play. This was a group of kids out together at 11 and above.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Well said tmarie!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Rest in Peace. Awful news. As kids, we don't always make the best decisions - I sure didnt many times. I hope the authorities recognise the JHS kids involved in the rescue as the heroes they truly are.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Parents?!?! Do parents not care where their kids are or what they are doing, especially when there is an approaching storm?!?!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I agree Burakumindes. You hear so much about kids being too selfish these days and not caring about others and yet those kids went in after the girl and her friend and tried to save them. They really are heroes.

I think kids are daring at that age and even like to defy their parents (who I imagine did their best to warn their kids about the sea). Though this was a little too daring it`s not only kids who like to be daring. It could just as easily have happened to adults who were caught out at sea and needed help from other adults.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

And can you find me a country where being 11 legally needs adult supervision?

At our local pool, children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. (I live in the U.S.) There are lots of other situations that require an adult presence for children under 17 or 18 - "R" rated movies (in theory), some game arcades, bars, and others.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'm not one who would commend the 2nd year middle school kids. They probably weren't trained to do rescues and got themselves in trouble. The story doesn't make clear the chain of events but the rescuers had 5 kids to deal with instead of two. First rule of rescue, don't put yourself in a position where you need to be rescued. Storm surges create horrific rip tides. Even though the story says that they were swimming, the kid may have just been in the water up to their shins. The water could pull them down and out to sea. The middle school kids had their hearts in the right place but making yourself a victim doesn't help. Parents aren't hardly to blame. What parent actually knows what their kids are doing from the time they leave school until then get home? And parents that pick their kids up at school can be worst, since the kids will not learn responsibility. This is just a sad accident and maybe better warning signs should have been posted that explains the danger. RIP Inadome-san.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Rip currents can catch the best swimmers unawares. I don't agree that such young children should be swimming without supervision but this could have happened to adults as well.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I live in Miyazaki and have spoken to a friend who lives 50 meters from that beach. On the day of the drowning, the typhoon was somewhere near the Philippines, completely out of the swell window for this part of the coast, and the waves were barely knee high. It is just a tragic accident which could have happened to anyone.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

i blame their guardians.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Think things that happen are preventable? Just keep this story and keep collecting all similar stories in the future. See how many you will have collected in ten years.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

At our local pool, children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

My question wasn't about entrance to private places, it was in comment to the poster who suggested kids needs adult supervision at the age of 11. Huge difference.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

tmarie: "Smith, kids don't generally check the weather. These kids probably had zero idea about an incoming typhoon."

Some schools had cancellations due to heavy rain warnings (mostly private schools), and I guarantee the threat was bigger along the coastline. Yeah, kids don't normally tune in to the weather on your average day, but I would be hard pressed to think they had absolutely no inkling there was a typhoon approaching. And with heavy rain and rough waves? I mean... how stupid would a person have to be? Again, you do not live to be 11 and not know it's dangerous to go in rough water, even IF they didn't know a typhoon was approaching. I'm not saying the parents aren't in part to blame, they are, but these aren't the usual 4 year-olds playing unsupervised on the river's edge and getting swept away, they're late elementary and junior high-kids, who do not need adult supervision at all times. Clearly they need their heads checked, though.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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