Stars & Stripes, the official publication of the United States Department of Defense. Reports that Kazuki Takahashi drowned while trying to help an Army Major rescue three persons. Moreover, they were civilians, and an officer, who had been washed out to sea by a riptide.
At Mermaid’s Grotto in Onna village, Okinawa, a riptide threatened the lives of a mother, her 11-year-old daughter, and another American serviceman. Major Robert Bourgeau, an Army officer and diver instructor, heard the woman’s urgent plea for help.
Bourgeau, then 49 years old, jumped into the water to save the others. He grabbed the baby out of her mother’s arms and started swimming back. But unfortunately, the woman had already been sucked under. After that, he went and helped the other soldier. The rest of my life, I kicked with all my might, grabbing mom and [the girl], as Bourgeau put it.
The Major’s stamina was running low, so he swam back to shore to help the officer make it back. The Major did not see Takahashi dive into the water to save Bourgeau. Students observed their teacher dive into the water and slowly disappeared below the surface.
A witness claims to have seen Kazuki Takahashi make a running leap into the ocean
Numerous eyewitnesses attest to Kazuki’s presence during the rescue. However, a representative for the Japan Coast Guard has not confirmed whether he drowned in the same incident.
Kazuki Takahashi body found on 6th of July
On July 6, around a kilometre offshore from Awa, Nago City, Okinawa, the body of Kazuki Takahashi was found. They located the rental automobile he had abandoned at the Grotto of the Mermaids. Due to heavy collisions and accidents, he could not survive.
Takahashi is arguably the most well-known mangaka alive today. In 1996, he released the comic that would become Yu-Gi-Oh!, which inspired a slew of adaptations in the form of anime, manga, and movies, as well as a trading card game.
Borgeau admitted that he came closer to the shore
Even though Bourgeau was able to save the child, he admitted that as they came closer to shore, he began to weary.
“I grabbed mom and [the girl], and I just kicked for the rest of my life,” he explained.
Bourgeau claims he did not see Takahashi in the water, but Takahashi intervened and dove in himself.
Bourgeau claimed he rescued the woman and her daughter but was unable to save the soldier, who had become submerged in the water.
He described letting go of the man as “one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do” in a witness statement provided to the outlet by the Army. As he got out, he moved the soldier to shallower water away from the current.
The Coast Guard stated that they discovered the manga artist alone and that he was wearing snorkelling gear; they also stated that he had “damages to his body that appeared to be caused by some form of marine animal.”
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