Six divers entered Hirota Bay in near-freezing temperatures today at the behest of surviving families in the city of Rikuzentakata.
As reconstruction of the disaster-hit region gains pace, stretches of the bay have been reclaimed for building sea walls. Relatives fear that the remains of their loved ones might be buried forever.
"Some people say to me, do you really want to latch onto this forever?" said 81-year old Chikara Yoshida, who lost his only son, a 43-year-old volunteer firefighter who was trying to help elderly residents escape
"But for me, as I approach the end of my life, I want to bring him back in any way I can," he said. "It doesn't matter which piece of him comes back. Then I can end my days."
Yoshida and his daughter led a petition drive through Facebook earlier this year to resume underwater searches. The response was overwhelming. In just three weeks, 28,140 signed from Japan and abroad.
The coast guard heard about the petition and asked families in Rikuzentakata what it could do. They asked for searches in areas where divers have told them objects tend to accumulate, thinking these are where they might be fruitful.
The coast guard searched waters off Minamisanriku on Wednesday and plans to search another area off Rikuzentakata on Friday. So far, it hasn't found any remains. Today's effort turned up only a bicycle.
Some families rented their own boat to see watch the search, and tossed flowers into the bay.
"I've waited so long for this," said Yoshida's wife, Eiko. "Now to finally be able to get on this boat. The tears won't stop. I felt that I could see my son again."
A total of 2,561 people remain missing, according to the National Police Agency, including more than 200 in Rikuzentakata. Nearly 16,000 have been confirmed dead, bringing the presumed death toll to more than 18,000.
The petition was submitted to Rikuzentakata officials in early March, in hopes that local police would also resume searches. Searches have tapered off in recent years as authorities focus resources on reconstruction.
- AFP
