Two people died and 16 others suffered injuries ranging from serious to minor when wooden festival carts known as danjiri overturned in Osaka, Yahoo!ニュース reports. The accidents occurred on the same day, according to TBS NEWS DIG.
Accounts carried by 日テレNEWS NNN described victims as blood-covered and motionless, and one witness said a person appeared to have stumbled forward. Yahoo!ニュース quoted descriptions including a victim being crushed and killed instantly, and a scene covered in blood. The reports did not specify the exact locations or times of the individual incidents.
The danjiri carts are heavy, wheeled structures pulled and steered through streets at high speed during local festivals, and the vehicles can tip over during sharp turns. The reporting frames the deaths as part of a recurring question about whether the tradition can be maintained safely.
Coverage noted that similar concerns have arisen elsewhere in Japan. TBS NEWS DIG reported that in another prefecture, a past death from a fall during a festival led to a lawsuit seeking to halt the event.
Public reaction has been divided. スポニチ Sponichi Annex reported that commentator Hiroyuki Nishimura offered his view on the fatal accidents, saying he regarded the participants' choices as their own lives to decide.
Authorities have not announced any suspension of the festivals in the material reviewed.
What to watch next: whether Osaka organizers or local officials announce safety measures, or any change to how the carts are operated, following the two deaths.
