A 40-meter-long blade has fallen off a wind turbine in the northern Japanese prefecture of Akita. A man was found collapsed near the site and later confirmed dead.



Police say they received a report at around 10:30 a.m. on Friday that a blade had come off a turbine in a park in Akita City.



The local police and fire department say an 81-year-old man was found unconscious with head injuries, and that he was later pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital.



Police are investigating a possible link between the falling of the blade and his death.



A local meteorological observatory says a strong wind advisory was in effect for the city around that time.



Gusts of over 82 kilometers per hour were observed shortly before 8 a.m.



Nagao Toru, specially appointed professor at Ashikaga University, said it is unlikely that Friday's strong winds caused the blade to break as turbines are extremely sturdy.



As a hypothesis, he pointed out that the turbine may have suffered problems in the not so distant past, including possible lightning strikes. He said damage may have gone undetected while the turbine continued to operate.



The prefecture says the turbine has been operating since 2009.



Officials say there was a similar incident in 2010, but no one was injured that time when a turbine blade broke and fell to the ground.