Latest Report on Huge Explosion at Hashima Coalmine

Outside Nagasaki Bay

Number of Dead Reaches 23

Bodies being Recovered One After Another

Deputy Manager Ogawa in Grave Condition

 

[Hashima: (March 28, 8:00 a.m.)]

 

The 26 people seriously injured in the explosion at the Hashima Coalmine in Nishi-Sonogi District were carried to the mine’s medical clinic for emergency treatment. As of 9:00 p.m. on the 27th, 16 of the injured had been pronounced dead. Those remaining alive, including Deputy Manager Ogawa, were in critical condition, and by the morning of the 28th an additional six were pronounced dead.

 

In addition to the 16 who have died from serious injuries sustained in the explosion, an additional seven who are “missing” are presumed dead, bringing the total to 23 people. The seven missing, including Yutaka Hata, were trapped at a depth of 2,000 shaku [600 meters] and are considered to have perished.

 

The condition of Deputy Manager Ogawa (age 48) continues to deteriorate and became critical this morning. The names of places of origin of the dead and seriously injured are as below.

 

• Dead (Missing persons presumed dead in the lowest depths of the mine are indicated by °)

 

Kita-Matsuura District, Hirado Town

              Haruzo Ide (41)

Nagano Prefecture, Kami-Ina District, Nishi Haruchika Village Hei

              Mitsuru Iijima (45)

Minami-Takaki District, Shimabara Town 1218

              Matsunosuke Inoue (40)

Kumamoto Prefecture, Amakusa District, Jogawara Kami-Nohara 1353

              Kintoku Tsuruta (34)

Saga Prefecture, Higashi-Matsuura District Onizuka Village Yamamoto 1650

              Sukeichi Mukai (39)

Nishi-Sonogi District, Tameishi Village 2416

              Gisaburo Okawa (37)

Kagoshima Prefecture, Satsuma District, Mizuno Village 5912

              Azuma Hisakimoto (25)

Fukuoka Prefecture, Okawa District, Soeda Village, Aza Soeda 956

              Ichiro Arima (28)

Kangwon Province,  *****

                孝出 (Xx Hyo-chul)   (37) 

South Gyeongsang Province, ****

               黄渭■　(Hwang  Wi-xx) (21)

South Gyeongsang Province, ****

              裵　汶　陽  (Bae Mun-yang) (44)

South Gyeongsang Province, ****

              金　甲徳  (Kim Gap-deok) (42)

North Gyeongsang Province, ****

              裵 元伊 (Bae Won-i) (43)

North Gyeongsang Province, ****

              朴　命■　(Bak Myeong -xx) (21)

Kangwon Province, ****

              ■　王福　(Xxx Wang-bok) (23)

South Gyeongsang Province, ****

              張　義守 (Jang Ui-su) (23)

North Gyeongsang Province, ****

 徐　應潤　(Seo Eung-yun) (43)

Yamaguchi Prefecture, Mine District, Kyowa Village Aza Aokage

              ° Yutaka Hata (44)

Saga Prefecture, Higashi-Matsuura District, Ochi Mura Aza Hirayama 66

              ° Itaro Okawachi (41)

Fukuoka Prefecture, Onga District, Orio Ichi 663

              ° Senroku Hikita (38)

Nishi-Sonogi District, Waki-Toge Village 2000

              ° Sueyoshi Nakajima (20)

Kagoshima Prefecture, Izumi District, Akune Town, Tada 9577

              ° Sojiro Tazoe (29)

South Gyeongsang Province, ***

              ° 金　丁計 (Kim Jeong-gye)

(27)

Kagoshima Prefecture, Aira District, Gamo Town Kume 114

              ° Kageyuki Mukae (40)

 

• Injured

Osaka City, Kita-ku, Sonecho Kami 2-chome

              Maruzo Ogawa (48)

Hyogo Prefecture, Shiso District, Anashi Village Anashi 261

              Jun Inukai (44)

Saga Prefecture, Fujitsu District, Yoshida Village Cho-5-231

              安百 (Reading unknown) Miyazaki (42)

Okayama Prefecture, Jobo District, Kawanishi Village

              Kazuji Fujii (32)

Nishi-Sonogi District, Kabashima Mura 443

              Sanshiro Baba (38)

Kagoshima Prefecture, Oshima District, Amaki Village Hirae 38

              Tadatoku Inoue (28)

Ishikawa Prefecture Inuma District, Kawaminami Village Nagase 102

              Kichijiro Umeda (30)

Nagasaki City, Umegasaki-cho 11

              Shigeru Nagashima (19)

South Gyeongsang Province, ****

             李　順伯 (Yi Sun-baek)　（33)

North Gyeongsang Province, ****

             金　乙甲　(Kim Eul-gap)（31)

 

A total of ten injured persons have survived after receiving emergency medical treatment. Among them, the condition of Deputy Manager Ogawa remains critical, as previously reported. Among the other survivors, two or three also are in critical condition. The clinic is doing everything in its power to treat the injured.

 

Seven Bodies Found

Work to Start on Recovering the Bodies

Efforts will be Made to Drain the Mine

 

[Hashima: (March 26, 2:00 p.m.)]

 

The ill-fated No. 4 Tunnel is currently being flooded to extinguish the explosive gas at a rate of about 70 cubic shaku per minute [2 tons per minute]. It is expected that a total of about 200,000 cubic shaku [5,715 tons] of water will be injected into the mine by 7:00 p.m. on the 28th and that this will finally extinguish the burning gas that has been running wildly through the blackened shafts of the mine. During this period, a total of 13 small gas explosions were observed in various places in the mine. For this reason, it was feared at one point that another huge explosion would rip through the entire mine. But by flooding the mine, small explosions have been stopped and the flames have been completely extinguished. All that remains now is to start the process of draining the mine to recover the seven bodies that lie in the mine. It is sad to see small groups of miners congregating at the entrance to the No. 4 Tunnel as if to pray for the souls of their dead co-workers.    

 

Cause of the Explosion Appears to be Spontaneous Ignition

Engineer Arashima of the Mining Supervision Bureau Speaks

 

On the 27th, Engineer Arashima of the Fukuoka Mining Supervision Bureau arrived on the island to undertake an investigation of the explosion at the Hashima Coalmine. The investigation was undertaken after receiving explanations given by the manager of the mine. Engineer Arashima spoke as follows after examining the scene.

 

 “It is fair to say the cause of the explosion was spontaneous ignition. Gas leaks were reported from around the 25th. It can generally be said that there was no negligence in the measures taken by the company. Seven bodies are yet to be recovered. I am very sorry for the families of the bereaved that the mine is being flooded to extinguish the fires. But this cannot be helped, as there is no other way available to cope with the situation. There are five or six miners who were close to the explosion but have survived. In the course of our investigation, it is our intent to interview them and to debrief them on the details of what occurred.”

 

Greatest Effort to be Made to Console the Affected

Company Funeral Planned for 3 – 4 Days Hence

 

Managing Director Kamesaburo Ikeda of the Mitsubishi Industries Company is scheduled to reach Nagasaki aboard a train arriving at Nagasaki Station at 3:05 p.m. on the 28th and will proceed immediately to the scene of the accident at Hashima Coalmine. The company awaits the arrival of Managing Director Ikeda to consult on consolation payments to family members and the reconstruction and improvement of the No. 4 Tunnel. As all of the victims lost their lives in the line of duty, it is expected the company will make the greatest effort to console the affected. A decision has also been made to mourn all the fallen in a joint company funeral. As for the date of the funeral, it is expected that the seven bodies that remain deep inside the mines will be recovered by the morning of the 31st. After completing the recovery of bodies, the funeral is expected to be held on the April 3 or 4.

 

Bodies Buried in Sorrow

 

The 16 who died in the medical clinic were buried on the 28th at two sites on the island, Uchi-Nakajima and Takashima. The sorrowful procession of mourners followed the caskets that bore the remains of their fathers and brothers who had made the ultimate sacrifice.

 

(March 29, Showa 10 [1935] evening edition)