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Akita authorities search for 2 men after boat capsizes near dam

Authorities are searching for two elderly men who remain missing after their boat capsized near a dam in the town of Fujisato on Wednesday
Authorities are searching for two elderly men who remain missing after their boat capsized near a dam in the town of Fujisato on Wednesday (TBS News)

AKITA (TR) – Authorities are searching for two elderly men who went missing after their boat capsized while fishing near a dam in the town of Fujisato on Wednesday, reports NHK (May 3).

At around 3 p.m., the men, aged 65 and 70, went missing after they were thrown overboard from their boat into Lake Nozori, according to Akita Prefectural Police. A third man, 72, was later rescued.

A search for the men, all of whom are from Yamanashi Prefecture, ended at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the local fire department. It was set to resume at 6 a.m. on Thursday. As of Saturday, there were no reports of the men having been found.

The 72-year-old man was transported to a hospital after swimming to shore and signaling for help by burning grass. “We were fishing on the boat with an outboard motor when it capsized,” the man told NHK. “Nobody was wearing a life jacket.”

After the man swam to shore, he was unable to get his mobile phone to work. “So I signaled for help by burning grass to create smoke,” he said.

At around 4:30 p.m., a person at a restaurant saw the smoke, according to the fire department.