Why 72-year-old woman died Underpass Danger overlooked September 1 19:49

“Why did I have to die?”

complained the bereaved family of a woman who died in a heavy rain in Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture in July this year.

The woman died on an underground walkway called "underpass" that passes under the railroad tracks.

Underpasses are usually convenient, but during heavy rains they become extremely dangerous not only for cars but also for pedestrians.

(Otsu Broadcasting Station Reporter So Mitsunari Shintaro Inada)

Woman dies on sidewalk, cause of death is 'drowning'

We received the news on July 19th this year.

It was a police announcement that a woman was found dead on a sidewalk near JR Azuchi Station in Omihachiman City.

There were no noticeable injuries or disordered clothing, and it does not appear to have been a crime.

The cause of death was later found to be drowning.

The woman is said to have drowned in the Underpass, an underground walkway that passes under the railroad tracks.

“Can water fill up so quickly that a person drowns?”

On that day, the atmosphere in the Kinki region became very unstable, and there was heavy rain in various places.

Very heavy rain fell in Omihachiman City at the site, and information on heavy rain for a short period of time was also announced.

There have been accidents in the past where a car got stuck on an underpass, but the woman was on foot.

Can water accumulate so quickly that a person drowns?

I proceeded with the interview on what happened at the underpass.

This is a photo of the scene.

The slope coming down from the right joins the sidewalk leading to the tunnel part under the tracks on the far left.

The tunnel part is nearly 4 meters below the ground.

It was on the slope that the woman was found.

At that time, most of this slope was submerged in water, and it seems that the woman was floating on the surface of the water.

"Why did my mother have to die?"

Suzumi Iwata (72), an unemployed neighbor, died.

Two weeks after Iwata's death, her bereaved family agreed to interview me.

The eldest son Osho Kinoshita (48, photo right) and the second son Nobutake Iwata (46, photo left).

The two got together and filed a lawsuit.

Two sons:

"I wonder why my mother had to die. No one told me anything and I still can't believe it."

After her two sons left home on their own, Ms. Iwata lived with her husband in a house near the site.

She has been living alone since her husband died 10 years ago, but has been blessed with her friends and hobbies.

After it was reported that she drowned in an underpass, her bereaved family was heartbroken by posts on the Internet saying that she "suicided" and "maybe she had dementia." I was.

Eldest son Osho Kinoshita:

"I don't think such a thing would be possible. My mother had no physical disabilities and was in good spirits. I attended the entrance ceremony for my granddaughter in April this year, and I was looking forward to her growth more than anyone else."

Knowing that the water is overflowing due to heavy rain, there is no way to enter the sidewalk.

We had the same question as the bereaved family.

The shortest route is an underpass

After interviewing the police and Mr. Iwata's acquaintances, I was able to understand what he was doing that day.

Mr. Iwata was enjoying Tai Chi, his hobby, at a nearby community center with his friends that morning.

We will leave the community center around 11:30am.

It is said that he told his friends in the heavy rain that he wanted to go home early.

The straight line distance from the community center to my house is about 1 km.

The shortest route to cross the JR tracks on the way was to go through the underground walkway and underpass.

It is believed that Mr. Iwata entered the sidewalk between around 11:40 am and noon.

The water level rises rapidly in about an hour.

However, during this time, something strange happened on the sidewalk.

It was raining heavily and water was rushing in.

It is an image of the camera installed on the sidewalk.

A still image is taken every 10 minutes.

Photo taken at 11:00 a.m., not so much water.

However, after 30 minutes, it is already difficult to see the ground.

Another 30 minutes later, at noon, the water surface is just below the camera.

At this time, Mr. Iwata is believed to have been inside.

After 10 minutes of this, the image from the camera is lost.

The camera installed at a height of more than 2 meters was submerged in water and is believed to have stopped working.

Over the course of an hour, the water level rose rapidly.

After that, the water level rose further, and the water was flooded to a height of 3 meters and 20 centimeters.

what happened, experts

What happened to Mr. Iwata in this underpass?

We asked Prof. Yoshifumi Satofuka, Director of Ritsumeikan University's Frontier Research Center for Disaster Prevention, who specializes in river engineering and other water-related disaster prevention, to take a look at the site.

There are four slopes, including the one where Mr. Iwata was found, that lead to the tunnel part under the track on the sidewalk.

The underground walkway in the tunnel is like the bottom of the mortar.

Professor Satofuka suggested that the rainwater that fell in the surrounding area may have flowed in at once and increased the water level.

Professor Satofuka

: "It's a common structure, not an uncommon structure. The underpass is lower than the surrounding ground, so rain that could not be treated or washed away gathers here, so this underpass is also flooded when it rains heavily. It's a place of heightened risk."

Sudden rise in water level Possibility of not being seen

Professor Satofuka noted another point.

It is possible that the sudden rise in the water level in the tunnel was not visible.

This photo is the entrance of the slope that Mr. Iwata descended.

Turn right at the end and head to the tunnel under the tracks.

However, the slope joins the tunnel at a sharp angle, and the state of the tunnel cannot be seen until it is almost down.

Professor Satofuka

``When people are walking and they find out that the area in front of them is flooded, they usually stop or turn back. It wasn't. And I think it's possible that when we were unlucky enough to reach a deep underground passage, there was a sudden rise in the water level and we couldn't get out."

The risk of flooding had been pointed out What was the response of the city and prefecture

Could Mr. Iwata have known in advance the danger of a sudden rise in the water level?

In fact, the danger of this underpass has been pointed out for some time.

"A place where the height of the road is low and it is flooded when it rains heavily, and there is a possibility that a serious accident may occur."

The underground walkway at this site was also posted on the site of the flooded roads published by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on the Internet.

The two sidewalks at the site are managed by Shiga Prefecture and Omihachiman City.

The part on the left, including the tunnel that passes under the railroad tracks, is Shiga Prefecture.

The slope on the right that leads to it is under the jurisdiction of Omihachiman City.

In the morning of this day, several reports were received from citizens pointing out the danger of flooding.

However, on the side of the city road where Mr. Iwata entered, there was no signboard to warn against a sudden rise in water level.

The city and prefecture were able to check the water level with cameras on the sidewalk, but the site was closed to traffic after Mr. Iwata entered the sidewalk.

Omihachiman City.

Mayor Konishi

: “Since there was a situation of flooding in the past, we had basically requested the prefecture to increase the number of pumps, but to be honest, we did not realize that it would lead to a fatal accident.”

"At the time, I don't think the person in charge had the awareness that the city road had to be closed at the same time as it was flooded."

Shiga prefecture.

A person in charge of Shiga Prefecture said,

"We were aware of the flooding information from on-site cameras, etc., but an accident occurred. The water level rose at a completely unexpected speed, and the response was to close the road even faster. I find it very difficult

A questionnaire survey of all local governments in Shiga Prefecture…

How many underpasses are there in Shiga Prefecture?

We conducted a questionnaire survey to all municipalities in the prefecture.

As a result, we found that there are more than 150 underpasses with similar structures in the prefecture.

I asked if there was a standard for closing the underpass.

Then, with the exception of some local governments, most local governments answered that they have not set standards for road closures.

One-fourth of the municipalities answered that they were taking measures for warning signs and water level indicators.

On the other hand, according to a questionnaire survey of local governments, it was said that it would be difficult to monitor every corner of the dangerous area in the event of a disaster, when there is a lot of work to be done and the number of personnel is limited.

Professor Satofuka, who specializes in disaster prevention, also points out that there is a limit to relying solely on the government, and that the danger of underpasses needs to be widely known.

Professor Satofuka

: “Both the prefecture and the city are forced to respond to emergencies with a limited number of personnel, and in the end, I think the cause is a shortage of manpower in an emergency. It's important to deepen your understanding of the dangers of passes, and I think it's necessary for everyone to act accordingly."

"I don't want my mother's death to be in vain."

During this interview, I heard many people from the city and prefectural governments say, "I couldn't have predicted that much rain."

I think it's true that it's difficult to predict heavy rains, as damage caused by linear precipitation belts that bring heavy rains intensively has recently occurred in various places.

Also, if all the underpasses were closed every time it rained a little, community roads would become unusable, which would be inconvenient.

On the other hand, the site this time was also a junior high school commuting route, and there was a plan to build an elementary school nearby.

It has long been pointed out that there is a danger that the water level will suddenly rise due to heavy rain.

If there is a sign or sign to inform you of this...

We have often reported on accidents in which cars are caught in underpasses during heavy rain, but we have not been able to convey the danger to pedestrians.

If only we had more widespread awareness of the dangers of underpasses...

Mr. Iwata's son's words left an impression on me.

Iwata's son:

"First of all, I want to know why my mother died. Without that, I don't think I can prevent a recurrence. As for future preparations, I would like you to review your assumptions about heavy rains and take drastic measures. Mother As a family, I don't want her death to be in vain."

After Mr. Iwata passed away, large signs and easy-to-understand signs were hurriedly installed to warn of the danger.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, there are at least 3,600 underpasses nationwide.

I would like to continue reporting on what is necessary and what we can do so that Mr. Iwata's death will not be in vain.

Sou Mitsunari ,

Reporter, Otsu Broadcasting Station Joined the station in

2017 Covering

recovery and issues from the Great East Japan Earthquake at the Morioka Station, where he was first assigned.

Currently covering economic topics, disasters and disaster prevention in Shiga Prefecture.

Otsu Broadcasting Station Reporter

Shintaro Inada Joined

the station in

2018 In

charge of incidents and accidents at the Kobe station, where he was first assigned