Misawa Air Base is home of the 35th Fighter Wing in northeastern Japan. (Aaron Kidd/Stars and Stripes)
A boy and a woman apparently drowned Tuesday following an incident near a beach at Misawa Air Base in northeastern Japan.
“One male child passed away after being transported by Japanese emergency responders from Misawa Air Base Beach to an off-base hospital,” the 35th Fighter Wing said in a statement emailed Wednesday by spokesman Tech. Sgt. Chris Jacobs.
A woman reported missing near the beach Tuesday was found dead around 6:40 a.m. Wednesday, a Misawa City Fire Department spokesman said by phone that day. Some Japanese government officials speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.
“This is a heartbreaking loss for our community,” 35th Fighter Wing deputy commander Col. Matthew Kenkel said in the wing’s statement.
The woman was Japanese, according to a second wing statement sent by Jacobs on Wednesday, but it did not identify her by name or provide further information about the boy.
“The woman was transported off-base by Japanese officials for official identification and next-of-kin notification,” the wing said.
The Misawa and Chubu Kamikita fire departments responded Tuesday to a report that two people may have drowned at the beach, a Chubu Kamikita spokesman said Wednesday.
A search for the woman by about 50 American and Japanese personnel ended at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to Aomori Television Broadcasting.
“Misawa Air Base personnel and families are encouraged to reach out to Misawa Air Base helping agencies if they were impacted by this heartbreaking loss of our valued community members,” Kenkel said in the follow-up statement. “This was a tragic loss impacting multiple agencies across Misawa. We truly appreciate the support we received from the joint community, Misawa City and Chubu Kamikita first responders, local fishermen, and all the community members involved in our recovery efforts.”
The base beach will be closed until further notice, according to the statement.
Anyone with knowledge of the incident is encouraged to contact the public affairs office at DSN 315-226-3075 or 0176-77-3075, the statement said.
