One more heartbreaking story..."Scared and alone, stranded Japanese farmer waited weeks for help"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Scared and alone, Japanese farmer waited weeks for help

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42498312/ns/world_news-asiapacific/



Kunio Shiga, a farmer in Minami Soma, on Friday greets the first people he has seen since the tsunami.

MINAMI SOMA, Japan — The farmhouse sits at the end of a mud-caked, one-lane road strewn with toppled trees, the decaying carcasses of dead pigs and large debris deposited by the March 11 tsunami.

Stranded alone inside the unheated, dark home is 75-year-old Kunio Shiga. He cannot walk very far and doesn't know what happened to his wife.

***

When a reporter and two photographers from The Associated Press arrived at Shiga's doorstep Friday, the scared and disoriented farmer said: "You are the first people I have spoken to" since the earthquake and tsunami.

"Do you have any food?" he asked. "I will pay you."

[Lyric]

1. Oh my god.

:cry: :cry: :cry:

This is soul-shredding for anyone who has the slightest bit of human compassion. That poor man. And I bet he's not the only one, either.

[Canuckistanian]

2. Jeez

What a sad state of affairs.

BTW, a link would be appreciated.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

4. Don't know how I missed that, but it's in there now...

:patriot:

[Kadie]

3. .

:cry:

[in_cog_ni_to]

5. *sigh*

:cry::cry::cry::cry::cry: Bless his heart. I hope he's being taken care of now! :cry:

[KT2000]

6. This poor man

I just hope the police get to him soon. This is so horrible.

[roguevalley]

7. oh god help us all. I can hardly bear this stuff. I could just sit and

cry for months for this entire fucked up world. Look at his face. he's someone's dad. I am so sorry.

[undeterred]

8. kick

[CoffeeCat]

9. OMG...he is 12 miles from the Fukushima plant...

My heart is so heavy right now. I am so sad for this man, but so glad that
the AP reporters found him and were able to give him a stash of power bars.

The authorities were called and I hope they'll get to him soon.

What about the high radiation in that area? I hope he will be treated.

I also hope that those reporters are wearing protective gear. ...12 miles from Fukushima is very close!

[Amerigo Vespucci]

10. Looks like MSNBC updated the story...he's now in a shelter:

On Saturday, a police official in charge of missing persons called the AP to say Shiga had been rescued and taken to a shelter. The official, who did not give his name because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said Shiga was expected to be fine.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42498312/ns/world_news-asiapacific