Japan deputy mayor dies under festival float

Akihiro Nabae, the deputy mayor of Saijo in western Japan, died after being crushed under a giant float during a local parade, officials said Monday.

City and police officials said Nabae was carrying the float with other participants on Saturday when he became trapped beneath it. Local media said he was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead.

Makoto Hagiyama, deputy director of a local police station, said investigators were still examining what happened, including whether the float fell or whether Nabae lost his balance.

Local media said 11 floats were lined up side by side and that as much as three tonnes may have come down on Nabae.

The annual Saijo festival is organised by local shrines and includes processions of sculpted floats. Local media reported that two people died the previous Saturday during separate festivals in western Osaka where floats toppled while participants attempted high-speed turns.