Dead and missing in major landslides in Japan

Japanese media reported that about 20 people were missing after the landslide.

Movie clips show how a mud wave hits cars and buildings and cracks power lines. In the mud, landslides can be seen from buildings. Disaster researcher appreciated the news agency Kyodo That the landslide progressed at a speed of 40 kilometers per hour.

Rescue workers and crews of the Ground Self-Defense Forces, the equivalent of the army, are searching the area where much brown mud has covered. Many people sounded the alarm that they were trapped in their homes.

wrapped in the sea

The newspaper reported that the two people who were found dead were swept out to sea by the masses, when they were found by the Coast Guard. Asahi Shimbun.

As many as 300 families may have been affected by the landslide, Atami Mayor Sakai Saito said. In all, 21,000 homes have been evacuated as the risk of further landslides is believed to be high.

Atami is a seaside resort on the Pacific coast of Japan, 90 km west of the capital, Tokyo. It is the rainy season in Japan, but in Atami it is believed that it has rained much more than usual. In the first three days of July alone, it rained more than usual during the entire month on average. Within two days, 313 mm of rain fell.

On the same two days, monthly records were set for the amount of rain in a total of 30 places in five different prefectures, including Tokyo. Heavy rains caused flooding in several places where thousands of people were evacuated for preventive purposes.

Sucks in a crisis meeting

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called the government to a crisis meeting Saturday night, among other things so that more evacuations can be carried out quickly in rain-hit areas along the coast.

– There will likely be more heavy rain, so we have to be on high alert, says Suga in a TV appearance.

Atami, located in Shizuoka Prefecture, has a population of about 36,000. The highlands that surround the city are made up of a portion of volcanic deposits, which increases the risk of landslides when it rains.