Horyu Town, Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, suffered devastating damage in the Noto Peninsula Earthquake. Yoshikatsu Kitani (56), a family of four from Fukuhisa-cho, Kanazawa City, a company employee who had returned home to his parents’ house, was caught up in the collapse, but his beloved car became a pillar of support. The small gap that was created miraculously saved his life. However, his father, Denichi (87), who lived a short distance away, passed away. Mr. Kitani said in a strong voice, “I want to cherish the lives that have been passed on to me and live with my family.” (Toyohiro Kato)
◆Blue sheet of gratitude for your beloved car scheduled for scrapping
On the 21st, Mr. Kitani was at his parents’ home in a collapsed wooden house, sweeping away trash from a half-buried passenger car and covering it with a blue tarpaulin. The car is so badly damaged that he plans to scrap it, but says, “This car saved my life.I want to at least do something like this.” It was a gesture of gratitude for his beloved car.
“I want to thank the car that saved my life,” said Yoshikatsu Kitani, who put on a blue tarpaulin in preparation for the snow.A family of four miraculously survived when their car was hit by a collapsed house on the 21st in Hodate-cho, Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture.
On the day the earthquake occurred, a total of six people, Mr. Kitani, his wife (53), eldest daughter (26), eldest son (24) and their parents, were spending time at their parents’ home. Mr. Kitani was watching TV in the living room with his wife and two children when he felt a tremor so long that he thought it would never end until the building collapsed, and the second floor collapsed.
The house collapsed, leaning heavily toward the garden. A car that happened to be parked in the garden near the living room caught the fallen wall and roof, creating a small gap.
◆My father, who was taking a bath, was found under the rubble…
Mr. Kitani, his wife, and two children were safe in the gap. However, their lower bodies were trapped and all four were unable to move. I continued to raise my voice, but the people outside my home who were rushing to evacuate seemed to be in a state of panic and desperate to escape. Her wife called 911 multiple times using the smartphone she was holding, and she was finally connected and rescued by members of the local fire department three hours later. All four people were uninjured.
I had just bought a car 10 days ago. If it weren’t for the gap created by the car, “all four people might have been crushed,” Kitani said.
Denichi, who was taking a bath in the bathroom, put on his underwear and ran away, but was crushed by debris in the Buddhist altar room. Rescue teams from other prefectures found him on the evening of the 4th.
My mother (84) was in the kitchen of her home, which suffered relatively little damage, and was able to escape on her own.
◆Just before the earthquake, my father had his usual smile on his face.
Mr. Denichi was a Suzu City employee. “He had a serious personality and didn’t talk much, but when he had a grandchild, he was always smiling.When he came to visit Suzu, he took me to the mountains and played with him a lot,” Kitani recalled.
After retiring, he and his wife often traveled overseas, including to the United States. Just before the earthquake, Denichi smiled and said, “I’m hungry.” When Denichi was found, his face was severely damaged. “I want to remember that smile at the end.” His mother did not see Denichi’s face when he was found.
“My father has worked very hard for his family. I want him to rest in peace,” Kitani said. “We were able to save a life. We want to do what we can.”
2024-01-22 08:30:00
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