20 sumo wrestlers save woman who plunged from a bridge in Tokyo

Due to the ongoing pandemic, members of the general public don't have too many opportunities to see sumo wrestlers up close these days as tournaments are conducted in empty halls. However, that wasn't the case for one woman in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, although the circumstances were far more serious. According to a report in the Mainichi Newspaper, in the early morning hours of June 10th, a woman in her 30s was assisted by not one but twenty sumo wrestlers from the Sakaigawa Stable after she jumped off a small bridge into the Kena River, in an apparent attempt to take her own life.

As you can see in the Google Street View image taken from Fureaibashi bridge where the woman presumably jumped off, the Sakaigawa Stable (the white square building in the center) is just a stone's throw away.

According to the Takenotsuka Police Department, a man in his 70s heard the cry of a woman saying "I can't die". He rushed down to the river bank to grab the woman's hand but could not lift it. But then, the master of the Sakaigawa Stable who had heard a woman scream sent about 20 wrestlers to the rescue.

An ambulance arrived immediately at the scene, but they needed to lift the stretcher carrying the woman to a height of about 2 meters up the reinforced bank to carry it to the road. Several wrestlers made quick work of this task, however, helping to hoist her up to the waiting ambulance. The woman was taken to a hospital but she suffered no injuries.

The station is considering sending a letter of appreciation to the Sakaigawa Stable.