The bodies of four elderly people missing since Sunday were found in a car pulled from a pond in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, police said Wednesday.
The four were identified as Tsunejiro Tomita, 79, a company executive in Hamamatsu in the prefecture, his wife, Fumiko, 79, and their friends Yuriko Iguchi, 78, and Setsue Sakamoto, 93, police said.
The four disappeared after going for a drive Sunday, and family members alerted police the following day.
Police suspect the car, driven by Tsunejiro, plunged into the pond due to driver error, as skid marks were found on a steep slope without barriers near the pond.
They added that the car was found about 20 meters from the shore and 2.6 meters under water.
The four were acquaintances from a local senior citizens' club, and often went on outings together.