Death Toll from Heavy Rains Climbs to 10 in Japan

October 26, 2019

Tokyo--Six people were confirmed dead on Saturday in Chiba and Fukushima prefectures after a low-pressure system and Typhoon Bualoi brought torrential rains in eastern and northeastern Japan the previous day, bringing the death toll in the prefectures to 10.

One person remained unaccounted for in Fukushima.

The Japan Meteorological Agency called for continued vigilance against flooding and landslides in affected areas in Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures in eastern Japan, as well as Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate prefectures in northeastern Japan, as water levels remained high and flooding continued in some rivers and the ground became soft in some areas.

According to sources including the Chiba prefectural government, a woman in her 40s found at a house collapsed due to a landslide in the city of Chiba and a woman in her 50s found at a house hit by a landslide in Ichihara in Chiba were confirmed dead.

Also in Chiba Prefecture, a man in his 60s found at a riverbank in Mohara, men in his 90s found in a vehicle in the town of Chonan and a man in his 50s found in a similar situation in the town of Nagara were also confirmed dead, the sources said.

In Minamisoma in Fukushima, a woman in her 60s found near a coast was found dead and her son in her 30s has been missing.

River flooding has been confirmed in 16 locations in Chiba Prefecture, with water overflowing to wide areas including in Mohara. In Kamogawa, water supply was cut for some 4,000 households.

According to the land ministry, flood damage including river overflowing has been confirmed in 18 rivers in Chiba, Ibaraki and Fukushima prefectures.

Levees were breached at the Natsui River, Koizumi River and Mizunashi River in Fukushima Prefecture due to strong Typhoon Hagibis two weeks ago, but no new levee breaches have been confirmed.

East Japan Railway Co.'s <9020> Sobu Line and Narita Line in Chiba Prefecture suffered landslide damage from the heavy rain, and a part of the road bed for the Sotobo Line was washed away.

According to JR East, service was halted for some sections of railway lines including the Sobu Line, Joban Line and Kururi Line on Saturday morning, and many

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, rainfall of 285.0 millimeters was recorded in the 24 hours through 3:20 a.m. Saturday (6:20 p.m. GMT Friday) at a Ushiku point in Ichihara, Chiba, marking a record high for the point for October.

Rainfall of 251.5 millimeters was observed in the 24 hours to 8:40 a.m. in the town of Namie in Fukushima, while rainfall of 111.0 millimeters was recorded in the six hours to 12:10 a.m. in Iwanuma in Miyagi.

Speaking at a meeting of an extraordinary disaster response headquarters on Saturday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told participants to understand the damage situation in disaster-hit areas promptly and give all-out efforts in rescue operations.

He also told them to cooperate closely with local governments and related organizations to restore essential utilities swiftly and work on livelihood support for affected people. Jiji Press