Police probe if man was killed by falling wind turbine blade
Turbine blade was found strewn across road next to elderly man, later confirmed dead, who had sustained multiple injuries
Japanese police are probing whether a man who died after being found unconscious with multiple injuries was killed by a falling wind turbine blade, with emergency inspections underway of other machines.
An 81-year-old man, Takashi Shishido, was found unresponsive in a park in the northern Japanese coastal city of Akita on 2 May. He was taken to a hospital where he was confirmed dead, having sustained multiple injuries.
Police are investigating whether this is linked to a falling wind turbine blade, which was sent flying from a nearby machine and was reportedly found as little as a meter from Shishido.
Images of part of the turbine blade published in local media show it lying directly across a small road running through the seaside park where it is situated.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK reports that the president of the company that installed the wind turbine, Tokyo-headquartered Sakura Wind Power, visited a local government office to apologise for the incident.
An emergency inspection of other turbines at the wind farm was carried out today, reports NHK, which published photos of technicians on site assessing the machines.
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