6 family members killed as minivan plunges into sea in Kumamoto

Tuesday 27th May, 10:15 AM JST

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spiderman at 02:26 PM JST - 27th May

i second rjd_jr!
Nessie at 03:06 PM JST - 27th May

Thanks for the update, Mod.

Wow, I had a vivid nightmare of this just two nights ago. Being stuck in a sinking car.
meija at 04:54 PM JST - 27th May

Nutsagain: "It's not that easy to just 'plunge' into the water anywhere. In Japan as elsewhere. there are barriers to prevent just this sort of thing happening. Take a look the next time your moping around the docks thinking of your next posts... Cars still do it, but have to ride over the concrete block... So suicide does seem very likely. Most likely in fact."

Actually, around where I live it's much harder to find a place that has barriers than somewhere where you can just driver into the sea. Unless you're unlucky enough to hit one of those pilons that they tie the boats to, you'd have no problem at all going in. I'd imagine it would pretty hard around big cities like Tokyo, but the more country you get, the more safety becomes a "personal responsibility" rather than something automatically provided.

I say we leave the suicide / accident decision open until the surviving child can make a statement. That should clear up the issue.
GG2141 at 05:11 PM JST - 27th May

Meija, heard you the first time. Chill on the submit button.

Shoichi waits till he's 46, then starts a large family with a 24 year old wife. Looks like he might just cross the finish line and then his 15 year old daughter has a little accident.
Alphaape at 08:03 PM JST - 27th May

I wish they could give us more on this one, but I suspect something is going to come out along the lines that the 16yr old daughter's father is probably her grandfather. Not sterotyping, but look at the age between the mother and father. Could the revelations of this and the possiblity of punishment drove this man to commit this act, if indeed they suspect a "murder/suicide?"

This is a very bad story, and I pray for the sole survivor.
Blue_Tiger at 08:08 PM JST - 27th May

Tragic....

Horribly tragic....
spotehun at 08:08 PM JST - 27th May

Six people died, four of them underage, a teenager boy left alone after such a tragedy, and people are stuck at the age differences...

Congratulations
spotehun at 08:09 PM JST - 27th May

Oh, and just because his family was like that, doesn't mean he is going to be the same.

Don't decide his future for him. Disgusting indeed. The things people comment here.
Alphaape at 08:51 PM JST - 27th May

spotehun, when I made my comments, I was not trying to diminish the deaths of the innocent. But, just by a quick observation, the age difference does stand out when a 16 year old has a 6 month child (you do the math, that means that the child became pregnant at the age of 15) so if I were the police, that would be one of the first things I would look at. As in most detective work, in cases of murder/death, you start looking close to home, since in a good number of cases, people are killed by someone they actually know.

Whatever the cause of death, it is very tragic. I just hope that the sole survivor will be able to do well and not have to relive this tragedy everyday and take it out on others in his life.
spotehun at 09:08 PM JST - 27th May

Alphaape, I am sorry that my comments showed up so late, I've been cooking, and didn't refresh the page before I commented. GG2141 wrote the following: "Shoichi waits till he's 46, then starts a large family with a 24 year old wife. Looks like he might just cross the finish line and then his 15 year old daughter has a little accident.".

I meant comments like this. I agree with you on the possibility you mentioned.

I on the other hand, would like to believe, that due to his own experience, the father didn't force his daughter to kill the baby, after the daughter had an "accident" with some irresponsible young lad, and that the reason of death is truly a mistake or an accident, and not a "plan".
Alphaape at 09:53 PM JST - 27th May

spotehun, no problems. I also agree on your comments about the father. This is just such a very bad example of humanity, no matter where you are from.
romulus3 at 10:44 PM JST - 27th May

This just in. May have been an accident. They may have been going fishing.

"I saw bubbles rising up around where the car sank. The surviving boy was crying at the pier, calling, 'Mom, Mom.'

A man who works at a farm and marine products store near the scene said, "There are many anglers visiting here in their cars at this time of year, but it gets totally dark at night when all the stores close for the day."
HonestDictator at 12:39 AM JST - 28th May

I sincerely hope this was an accident and not intentional.
OhioDonna at 02:02 AM JST - 28th May

Very sad indeed.
netrek at 01:45 PM JST - 31st May

Seems I can't go a day reading JT without reading about a new case of suicide or murder-suicide.