Japan Sees Record 3,451 Sediment Disasters in 2018

December 26, 2018

Tokyo - The number of sediment disasters in Japan in 2018 totaled 3,451, the highest level since statistics began in 1982, the land ministry said in a preliminary report on Wednesday.

Of the total, 2, 581, or About 74 Pct, Including Massive Landslides And Mudslides, Resulted From The Torrential Rain That Mainly Hit Western Japan Regions In July, The Ministry Said.

"Sediment Disasters From Heavy Rain May Happen Frequently In The Future," The Ministry Said.

The Previous Record High was 2,537, in 2004, when a strong typhoon swept across the country and a powerful earthquake rocked the Chuetsu region of Niigata Prefecture, central Japan.

This year, sediment disasters occurred in 44 prefectures, sparing only Tokyo, Tochigi and Ibaraki .

Hiroshima, in western Japan, suffered the most sediment disasters, at 1,243, chiefly due to the heavy rain in July, followed by 419 in Ehime, which was also hit hard by the rain, and 237 in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, which was

The number of injured people came to 117, while 1,443 houses were damaged.

END struck by a giant earthquake in September. The combined number of people who died and went missing in all of this year's sediment disasters totaled 161, the third highest on record. Jiji Press