Hiromitsu Shinkawa survived the deadly tsunami that destroyed thousands of lives after hitting Japan’s northeastern coast following a magnitude 8.9 earthquake on Friday.
The 60-year-old Japanese man from the city of Minamisoma was spotted about 10 miles out to sea waving a red cloth while clinging on top of his own rooftop on Sunday by a Japanese military vessel carrying out search and rescue operations that day.
“Several helicopters and ships passed by, but none of them noticed me. I thought today was the last day of my life,”he was quoted as saying.
Shinkawa spent two days floating at sea after he and his wife were swept away by the tsunami. According to reports, he told his rescuers that he and his wife ran away after learning that the tsunami was coming, but they returned home to pick up some belongings. As they returned home the tsunami hit and washed them away.
“I was saved by holding onto the roof, but my wife was swept away,” he said.
When a rescuer handed him a drink, he immediately drunk it down and burst into tears, an official said.
