The No. 18 Kyotoku-maru ship, with a red and blue hull and a'safety first' slogan painted just above its bridge, looms over a landscape of homes and business splintered by the March 11 tsunami. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
KESENNUMA (Japan) - THE newest landmark in the tsunami-stricken city of Kesennuma is a massive fishing trawler that was swept up at sea and came to rest on one of the main roads to City Hall.
The No. 18 Kyotoku-maru ship, with a red and blue hull and a'safety first' slogan painted just above its bridge, looms over a landscape of homes and business splintered by the March 11 tsunami and then set ablaze in an ensuing fire.
'It really catches the eye,' said Ayaka Hatakeyama, who used to run a butcher shop a few metres from where the ship came to rest in the centre of this north-eastern port city.
The ship stands out in an already surreal landscape of convenience stores smashed by houses and cars perched precariously on crumbling concrete walls.
Locals share stories about the ship whose crew was forced to stay on board as the city beneath them blazed through the night.
'We heard the ship was full of fuel and worried that it was going to explode,' Ms Hatakeyama said as she took a break from salvaging goods from her store. -- REUTERS
No comments:
Post a Comment