Tankwagen kippt um; 81-jähriger Mann springt ins Meer, um Fahrer in Wakayama zu retten.

TRANSLATION

> An accident occurred at a fishing port in Wakayama City in which a tanker truck plunged into the sea; an 81-year-old man nearby jumped into the water and rescued the driver.

> Around 10:30 a.m. on the 6th, emergency services received a call from a man fishing at the Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama City, reporting that a tanker truck had plunged into the sea.

> According to police and fire authorities, the truck drove over the quay and into the water, coming to a stop with the driver’s cab mostly submerged. An 81-year-old man nearby jumped into the water and rescued the driver by cutting his seatbelt with a knife.

>The driver sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital.

> With a broken streetlight and other debris found at the scene, police are investigating the details, believing the tanker truck veered off a nearby road, struck the streetlight and other objects, and plunged into the sea.

> Tamotsu Ikeda (81), who runs a boat repair and sales business and instinctively dove into the sea to rescue the driver of a tanker truck, recounted the incident: „I was working on a boat when I heard loud ‚thud-thud‘ sounds and saw the tanker truck plunging into the water at high speed. I thought the driver might be dead, but when I saw his wrist moving, I instinctively dove in.“

> Describing the rescue, Ikeda said, „The driver was struggling underwater. He was wearing a seatbelt, so I had someone nearby bring a knife; I cut the belt near his waist, grabbed him by the neck area, and lifted his face above the water to ensure he could breathe. He had a cut on his wrist, so I applied pressure to stop the bleeding while still underwater.“

> He added, „I knew it was dangerous, but the urge to save him won out. Looking back, it was terrifying, and I realized I was risking my own life. It’s not something just anyone can do, so people really shouldn’t try to dive in like that.“