Wakayama, Mar 17 (News On Japan) - The number of fatalities linked to last month’s Hadaka Matsuri, known as the Saidai-ji Eyo festival, in Okayama City has risen to two, after a man who had been in critical condition since the event died on March 17th.
The deceased was identified as Keiya Kumon, a 58-year-old self-employed resident of Kurashiki City in Okayama Prefecture.
The Saidai-ji Eyo is a traditional festival in which large groups of nearly naked men, dressed only in loincloths, compete fiercely to seize a pair of sacred wooden sticks known as shingi. During the event held on February 21st, emergency services received reports that several participants had collapsed amid the scramble.
Three men were found unconscious at the scene and were transported to hospital in critical condition. Kumon later died of multiple organ failure, according to authorities.
Of the remaining two victims, a man in his 40s from Mimasaka City has since regained consciousness. However, another man, a 48-year-old company employee from Okayama City’s Higashi Ward, died on March 9th, bringing the total number of deaths from the incident to two.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the حادثة, including crowd conditions and safety measures at the event.
Source: TBS
