A man was injured and taken to hospital on Tuesday when a sakura tree fell on him at Sannenzaka, one of Kyoto’s busiest tourist areas located along the approach to Kiyomizudera (Kiyomizu temple) in the city’s Higashiyama Ward.
The incident occurred at approximately 11:45 a.m., with a witness calling emergency services to report that the man was trapped under the tree. When the fire department arrived, they found that the tree had fallen across the stone-paved staircase, blocking the thoroughfare, and the man beneath it was conscious but bleeding and unable to free himself.
Fire department officers rescued the 62-year-old man, but he had difficulty walking so was taken to a nearby hospital. According to Kyoto Prefectural Police, the fallen cherry blossom tree was located on private land, and was approximately 9.1 metres (30 feet) high and 40 centimeters in diameter.
The location of the incident is roughly 200 meters from the Niomon Gate of Kiyomizudera, an area that is crowded with local and international tourists. Police have cordoned off the area and are currently investigating the exact cause of the incident.
Sources: NHK, Sankei
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