Man rescued in sea off Japan's quake-hit coast (added picture)

A Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer rescued a 60-year-old man from the sea some 15 kilometers off Fukushima Prefecture on Sunday after massive tsunami swept coastal regions following a magnitude 9.0 earthquake on Friday.

The man, identified as Hiromitsu Shinkawa from the city of Minamisoma, was spotted floating in the sea waving a self-made red flag on a piece of roof around 11:30 a.m. after being swept away along with his house, the Defense Ministry said.
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Shinkawa was quoted as telling rescuers that he was hit by the tsunami when he returned home to grab some belongings with his wife after he left it following the quake. He said, ''I was saved by holding onto the roof, but my wife was swept away.''

When a MSDF member handed him a drink on a rescue boat, he immediately drunk it down and burst into tears, the officials said.

He was also quoted as saying, ''No helicopters or boats that came nearby noticed me...I thought today was the last day of my life.''..