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▼ One Dead, 11 Missing as Torrential Rain Batters Southwestern Japan
- Category:Event
FUKUOKA - Search and rescue operations continued Thursday as torrential rain devastated Kyushu, leaving one dead, another feared dead and at least 11 people missing due to massive flooding and mudslides caused by a swath of rain clouds.
The Japanese government dispatched about 7,800 personnel, consisting of police officers, firefighters and Self-Defense Forces, as the downpour triggered emergency warnings in Fukuoka and Oita prefectures.
In Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture, a body was discovered following the heavy rain, while the city of Hita, Oita Prefecture, said a 45-year-old man was feared dead after being engulfed in a mudslide.
"The government will do its utmost to save victims and take stock of the damage, placing priority on people's lives," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference, adding that it may consider expanding the scale of the rescue effort depending on the level of devastation.
The Japan Meteorological Agency kept urging "utmost vigilance" in Fukuoka and Oita, saying a once-in-decades disaster is possible as atmospheric conditions remain unstable.
According to the Fukuoka prefectural government, a total of 11 people remained unaccounted for, possibly after being swept away. Police have confirmed the safety of three prefectural workers in Fukuoka and a man in his 60s in Oita, who went missing the previous day.
As of 9 a.m. Thursday, about 450,000 people comprising some 186,000 households were ordered to evacuate their homes and seek shelter. The rain also disrupted rail traffic and left up to 6,300 homes without power in Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Oita prefectures on Thursday.
"We are yet to grasp the whole picture of the damage," disaster management minister Jun Matsumoto told a ministerial meeting called
Thursday in response to the disaster. He ordered rescue personnel to work closely with municipal governments to save lives.
In Asakura in Fukuoka, hit hard by a river flood, 54 people, including 18 pupils were left stranded at an elementary school. The city saw record precipitation of 542 millimeters over a 24-hour period through 8 a.m. Thursday.
The heavy rain was brought about by a swath of cumulonimbus clouds that stayed over the area in line with the movement of a seasonal rain front.
Rainfall of over 50 millimeters per hour was registered in some areas in Kyushu and further precipitation is expected through Friday, the weather agency said.
© KYODO
The Japanese government dispatched about 7,800 personnel, consisting of police officers, firefighters and Self-Defense Forces, as the downpour triggered emergency warnings in Fukuoka and Oita prefectures.
In Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture, a body was discovered following the heavy rain, while the city of Hita, Oita Prefecture, said a 45-year-old man was feared dead after being engulfed in a mudslide.
"The government will do its utmost to save victims and take stock of the damage, placing priority on people's lives," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference, adding that it may consider expanding the scale of the rescue effort depending on the level of devastation.
The Japan Meteorological Agency kept urging "utmost vigilance" in Fukuoka and Oita, saying a once-in-decades disaster is possible as atmospheric conditions remain unstable.
According to the Fukuoka prefectural government, a total of 11 people remained unaccounted for, possibly after being swept away. Police have confirmed the safety of three prefectural workers in Fukuoka and a man in his 60s in Oita, who went missing the previous day.
As of 9 a.m. Thursday, about 450,000 people comprising some 186,000 households were ordered to evacuate their homes and seek shelter. The rain also disrupted rail traffic and left up to 6,300 homes without power in Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Oita prefectures on Thursday.
"We are yet to grasp the whole picture of the damage," disaster management minister Jun Matsumoto told a ministerial meeting called
Thursday in response to the disaster. He ordered rescue personnel to work closely with municipal governments to save lives.
In Asakura in Fukuoka, hit hard by a river flood, 54 people, including 18 pupils were left stranded at an elementary school. The city saw record precipitation of 542 millimeters over a 24-hour period through 8 a.m. Thursday.
The heavy rain was brought about by a swath of cumulonimbus clouds that stayed over the area in line with the movement of a seasonal rain front.
Rainfall of over 50 millimeters per hour was registered in some areas in Kyushu and further precipitation is expected through Friday, the weather agency said.
© KYODO
- July 6, 2017
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