Japan Update: As of 18:00, 28/March, TOKYO
Kenichiro Konno, 37, was on the second floor of his house in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, when the powerful tsunami waves engulfed the coastal city on March 11. Konno had evacuated to a local public hall after the quake, but had returned home to change his clothes.
“As I looked out the window, I saw the black, surging waves approaching,” he recalled.
Seawater reached the second floor of his house, but Konno managed to cling to a floating drawer. His house then turned over, and its roof broke off and Konno found himself drifting away toward the sea.
As night began to fall, the skipper of a small boat named “Taga-maru” spotted Konno in the middle of Ofunato Bay and rescued him using a rope. The ship’s captain would not give his name.
“I will never forget his kindness for the rest of my life. I want to thank him again,” said Konno.
He was transported to the east side of the bay by another fishing boat on the next evening and reunited with his family.
“It’s a miracle that I’m alive. I will start again from the beginning with my family,” he said.
News Source: Daily Mainichi
