Only One Survivor Remains as Number of Dead Reaches 27

March 30, 1935 (Showa 10)

Nagasaki Nichi-nichi Shimbun

 Largest Gas Explosion in Hashima History

 Largest gas explosion in the history of the Hashima Coalmine:

Nagasaki Nichi-nichi Shimbun issued an extra edition to report on the details of the accident. The company’s top officer who was directing the rescue effort died in a secondary explosion. According to reports, the number of dead had reached 27 as of the printing of the evening edition of the 30th. Of the dead, 18 were Japanese and nine were Korean. This provides no evidence for the allegation that dangerous work in the Hashima Coalmine was assigned exclusively to Korean miners. At the time of the accident, the island of Hashima had a total population of 3,200 people. Of the 1,000 employees of the mine, 700 were miners. (Nagasaki Nichi-nichi Shimbun)

 Nagasaki Nichi-nichi Shimbun (March 30, 1935 [Showa 10] Evening Edition)

Only One Survivor Remains as Number of Dead Reaches 27

 

Authorship: Materials provided by National Diet Library

 

Nagasaki Nichi-nichi Shimbun: Newspaper

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Only One Survivor Remains as Number of Dead Reaches 27

Tragic Explosion at Hashima Coalmine Outside Nagasaki Bay

 

After the tragic gas explosion, a total of 26 people were carried to the medical clinic with serious and light injuries. Some were hardly breathing. Among the injured, Deputy Manager Enzo Ogawa (48) breathed his last at 8:00 p.m. on the 28th (as previously reported). With this loss, the enormous tragedy had claimed the lives of 25 people, including one dead at the site of the explosion and seven whose bodies have yet to be recovered. However, the wave of sorrow and tragedy did not stop with this. At 2:00 a.m. on the 29th, two others died desperate efforts to save them, bringing the total number of dead to 27 as of noon on the 29th. The two were assistant safety officer Kazuji Fujii (32) and chief engineer Jun Inukai (44). Furthermore, the condition of engineer Yasuma Miyazaki has now become critical. As of this writing, Miyazaki remains the only survivor under treatment in the medical clinic.

(As of noon, March 29)

(March 30, Showa 10 [1935])