Elderly couple drowns while trying to rescue 7-year-old boy in reservoir

RIP you two. Selfless acts like yours deserve better outcomes than this, condolences to your loved ones.

RIP. What a selfless act. I wish some others could have been there to help.

None of them could swim - about time swimming lessons and tests became mandatory in this country.

Agree, my country every one swims plus rescue, even though we lose 2-3 citizens a year. We have to swim 1km in under 30min and also perform a rescue tow for 50 metres(both fully clothed) before we are 15yrs old.

More to it as diving from up to 5mtr platforms and retrieve multiple objects in one dive from a depth of 6 metres, again before we are 15.

Swimming education lacks here, we hit the pool once a week all year round.

An elderly couple... saw the boy, who was playing with their grandson, slip down the embankment and fall into the reservoir... a passerby rescued the boy

So where were the boy's parents? Or were the grandparents supposed to be looking after BOTH boys but decided to take them to a RESERVOIR to play.

For everyone that downvoted me come to my local pool and rescue me both fully clothed, while I am 'drowning'. Any takers?

Rescue swimming is not easy while having to constrain the drownee who fights you, there is a special hold.

Chain reaction drownings are sadly all too common. The reason is that people dont know how to do rescues. Jumping in in deep water is a last resort, and even then its extremely dangerous since panicked swimmers will put you under and you need to be really really strong to get out of that.

You need to find a long stick, branch or anything that floats and give it at the person.

Swimming education lacks here

Odd. The Japanese people I know all can swim - probably better than me too.

We have to swim 1km in under 30min and also perform a rescue tow for 50 metres(both fully clothed) before we are 15yrs old

What happens if you can't do that - you're expelled? Not everyone is good at swimming, even if given regular lessons. Should everyone also be required to know first aid and firefighting? Perhaps home economics, personal accounting and job interviews too?

I think it's good for children to learn how to swim, but I'm sceptical of trying to train all of them as lifesavers, not least because it would encourage people to get involved in potentially dangerous situations.

In this case, I expect the old couple died because of their age. Unless they were super-strong swimmers for most of their lives, at that age even if you know the basics you can get into danger.

Swimming education lacks here

You do realize they have a pool in pretty much every elementary school in the country, right?

And in Junior and Senior High Schools

You mean a splashing pool I guess. My son learned to swim at the local Government Pool from me.

We use public pools with atleast a 33 or 50 metres lengths that also has a 1 metre, 3 and 5 board, some even have a 10 metre one.

And 1 and 3 metre various jumps are compulsory.

If you fail at swimming it will be reflected on your PE score which we take seriously, ditto for athletic, etc.

**

Odd. The Japanese people I know all can swim - probably better than me too.

I've met many who can't, male and female. Why do you think the swimming area at public beaches is so...constrained? This was a selfless act on the part of this old couple. True courage

I feel for the couple.

But as I said back home we take our classes seriously like having to swim 1km in under 30min, or run 3km under a certain time.

Odd. The Japanese people I know all can swim - probably better than me too.

Yes in a pool where they can stand up at any time. Most swimmers in Japan I've met, with the exception of my surfer mates are scared of swimming out of their depth, for good reason too.

@it's me. Where are you from? Don't forget the couple were in their 70s. I learnt to swim when I was 5, was in the swimming squad in high school and did a water survival course as an adult. I weigh 18kgs more than I did 25 years ago. I'm nearly 50 and very unfit. I can swim but not for long. If I were in a similar situation I think I might drown.

True. The most swimming that will be covered in Japanese public schools is being proficient with a kickboard, in waist deep water. There are few opportunities for people to be out of their comfort zone. I'm sorry that the brave effort of the old couple ended in tragedy.

Too true, separate a Japanese from their floating device and they .... Most pools overseas don't allow them unless for small kids or seniors.

Going to a public pool most space is taken up by their flotation devices and there are few where you can't stand.

An elderly couple drowned while trying to rescue a 7-year-old boy who had fallen into a small reservoir in Tonami

The boy wasn't really drowning, he was just pretending...

Call it Yamato's revenge!! ;-)

It's me. I'm jealous. I can't run anymore. I sometimes walk. I suppose the moral is not only to learn to swim but stay fit. However, I would imagine panic is a major factor, whether or not an older person is fit and can swim.

"There is no fence around it."

How did I know this line would be in there, somewhere? Very sorry for the loss of these two, caring people. This whole thing could have been avoided with a bit of common sense -- a fence and not allowing kids to play there.

RIP, I bet they went into the water in their clothes, that will really weigh you down, severely affect mobility,especially if you either don't swim or haven't for a long time, let along try to rescue someone.

If your going to jump in, feel yr up to the task, you have to strip down otherwise unless your an Olympic swimmer your taking a terrible risk & this elderly couple paid the price sadly

Seems as though the old man may have actually attempted to rescue his wife after seeing her struggling. When I was about 11 I saw my father rescue and elderly couple in exactly the same scenario (minus the kid). An elderly German couple decided to enter a river in the Northern Territory at a place called Mataranka. The woman went straight under and her husband who couldn't swim went to get her and did the same. My Dad, who was a strong waterman in those days, pulled them both out in a flash. I learnt that day that people drown quickly and quietly

Still say kudos to them and many thanks plenty of younger people died trying to save a family member or someone else.

Your sacrifice won't be forgotten.

These types of stories make me feel iffy abput taking my kids to parks near reservoirs. There are a lot of reservoirs out there. RIP

Agreed on the last sentence. Brave old couple

The article says that the elderly couple were in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest; no mention of whether or not they could swim, and it does not say that they drowned. It is possible that their hearts stopped before they ever got into the water. Unless the term "cardiopulmonary arrest" means something different than what I think it means?

Unless the term "cardiopulmonary arrest" means something different than what I think it means?

It's the Japanese way of saying they were dead, but before they have been declared officially dead by a doctor (or maybe a coroner, or whomever it is that declares someone dead).

They both died as heroes! Very brave!

I learnt that day that people drown quickly and quietly

this is very true, drowning people slip away not thrash and scream. You always need to watch your peers or family in the water.

To all those saying there are pools in all schools in Japan (there aren't by the way) and that your Japanese friends can swim. I know for a fact that Japanese people are not required to learn how to swim and there are no tests like there are in other countries. I have met many Japanese people who can't swim (none of my wife's family can including her), but I have never heard of someone from a western nation under the age of 50 who cannot swim.

I know plenty of japanese who can't swim a stroke. Btw, Its Me is correct. Recsueing a drowning person is extremely dangerous and many die trying. A panicking drowning person will grab his would-be rescuer and hold him/push him under water. There are some few techniques one can use to try to rescue such a person but its extremely risky at the best of times.

The reservoir, which is 25 meters long and 15 meters wide, is used for agricultural purposes. It is about two-three meters >>deep. There is no fence around it.

2 or 3 meters deep, no fence, and then people are wondering why there are children/people drowning....make it 1 meter deep + fence around and nobody would have died.