A Japan building fall has left a 23-year-old woman dead after a man fell from a 12-story apartment building and landed on her as she walked below, according to local reports. The man survived the fall, but remains in critical condition.
Houra Inaba, 23, was on the sidewalk in the early hours of July 19 when 29-year-old Shinsei Taguchi fell from a window above her, Mainichi reported. Both were taken to hospital after the incident.
What investigators know so far
Police have not yet determined whether Taguchi jumped intentionally or fell by accident, according to Japan Today. Authorities also have not confirmed which floor he fell from inside the 12-story apartment building.
Inaba was reportedly walking with a friend at the time. That friend alerted emergency services after the fall and was not injured, according to the reports. It is a grimly narrow set of circumstances: one person walking beneath a window at exactly the wrong moment, and another falling from above for reasons investigators still cannot explain.
Doctors treated Inaba after she was rushed to hospital, but she died several hours later from hemorrhagic shock.
The man remains in critical condition
Mainichi reported that Taguchi is still “unconscious and in critical condition.” Officials have not indicated how long he may remain under treatment, and his medical condition may affect how quickly police can clarify what happened before the fall.
For now, the central questions remain unresolved:
- Whether the fall was intentional or accidental
- Which floor Taguchi fell from
- What circumstances led up to the incident
- Whether investigators will be able to question him if his condition improves
The case has drawn attention not only because of the unusual nature of the death, but because of the brutal randomness of it. Inaba was not inside the building, not involved in whatever happened above her, and yet became the person who did not survive.
