Japanese man falls from bridge shortly after proposing to girlfriend

The Irabu Bridge in Miyakojima, Japan  INQUIRER.net Stock Photo

A proposal should be one of the most memorable moments in a couple’s life. But for these two Japanese lovers, the special moment turned into a harrowing nightmare.

An unidentified 32-year-old man lost his life after he fell off the Irabu Bridge in Miyakojima, Japan—just moments after proposing to his girlfriend around midnight last Monday.

Shortly after his girlfriend said yes, the Japanese national, who was also drinking at the time, ecstatically leaped off the railing to the other side of the 3.5 km-long bridge.

Unfortunately, he lost his grip and fell straight into the ocean, according to Japan Today.

Japanese authorities launched a search-and-rescue operation after receiving a call from the man’s spouse-to-be.

After seven gruelling hours, he was found and was rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

This is the first fatality recorded for the longest toll-free bridge in Japan, which links  Miyako and Irabu islands in Okinawa prefecture.

A similar accident took place on the Spanish island of Ibiza in 2015, when an overjoyed Bulgarian woman died after falling off a cliff, shortly after accepting her boyfriend’s marriage proposal. /ra

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