Japanese Baby Dies In Car As Mother Plays Slot Games Through Big Quake

TECTONICS

Debris from a collapsed house are seen in Kazo city, Saitama Prefecture 17 August 2005, following a powerful earthquake on 16 August. The number of people injured in a powerful quake off Japan's Pacific coast rose to 60 on Wednesday as the government warned aftershocks measuring above 6.0 on the Richter scale could strike the region. AFP photo by Kazuhiro Nogi

Tokyo (AFP) Aug 18, 2005
A six-month-old baby died in Japan after her mother left her in a car in the summer heat to play slot games and did not even return during a major earthquake, police said Thursday.

Police arrested Saori Konno, 27, for allegedly causing her daughter's death by leaving her in the car without air conditioning for two and a half hours Tuesday in the northern city of Ichinoseki.

The mother was half an hour into her game when an earthquake registering 7.2 on the Richter scale hit, but she did not return to the car, a police spokesman said.

The city felt the quake at an intensity of lower five on the Japanese seismic scale of up to seven, meaning the tremor was big enough to break windows. The quake injured at least 60 people across four prefectures.

The temperature in Ichinoseki hit 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday.

"People may think she should have checked if her baby was alright, at least when the quake struck, but it is not part of the charges against her," the police spokesman said.

The official said Konno was absorbed in playing pachisuro, a Japanese version of slot machines in which players win medals. Like the popular pinball game pachinko, it is usually played in loud, smoky parlors with gaudy lighting.

Gambling is officially banned in Japan, but pachinko and pachisuro players, many of whom become addicted, generally exchange their token prizes for cash at adjacent outlets.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

TECTONICS

Volcano Could Wipe Out DR Congo City, Say Experts

Goma, DRC (AFP) Aug 17, 2005
The Nyiragongo volcano that looms over Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo could soon wipe out the city, said a risk analysis report by volcano experts leaked to AFP.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.