A 58-year-old woman tragically died after her car plunged off a 20-meter cliff in Mie Prefecture, Japan, as she attempted to evacuate following tsunami warnings triggered by a powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Russia.
According to Japanese media reports, the incident occurred around 10:10 AM on Wednesday (July 30) in the Kumano City area of Mie Prefecture. The woman was driving along Route 311 in Hobocho when her vehicle suddenly veered off the mountainous road and fell off a cliff. She suffered severe head injuries and other trauma, and was rushed to the hospital, but died approximately three hours later.
Before the crash, she had reportedly sent a text message to her family saying she planned to drive to higher ground after receiving the tsunami warning: “We’ve received a tsunami alert. We’re moving the car.”
Police believe the woman may have lost control of the vehicle while attempting to evacuate in haste. The road where the incident occurred does not have protective guardrails, and authorities are now investigating the exact cause of the accident.
