Search for Missing Continues after Western Japan Downpour

July 15, 2018

Kurashiki, Okayama Pref.- Rescuers kept working on Sunday to search for people who went missing after recent torrential rain mainly in western Japan regions, as sweltering summer heat continued to batter the Japanese archipelago, including the disaster-hit areas.

On the second day of a three-day weekend, an army of volunteers from across the country helped affected local residents cope with damage from the disaster.

The torrential rain has caused extensive flooding and mudslides, inflicting serious damage on wide areas, with Hiroshima, Okayama and Ehime prefectures hit particularly hard.

As of 12:30 p.m. Sunday (3:30 a.m. GMT), the death toll from the rain disaster stood at 208 in 13 prefectures while 22 people remain missing in four prefectures, according to a Jiji Press survey.

By prefecture, the number of deaths came to 99 in Hiroshima, 60 in Okayama, 26 in Ehime, five in Kyoto, three each in Yamaguchi, Kochi and Fukuoka, two each in Hyogo, Saga and Kagoshima, and one each in Gifu, Shiga and Miyazaki. The number of missing people stood at 16 in Hiroshima, three in Okayama, two in Ehime and one in Nara.

The mercury is rising in the disaster areas, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The agency is calling on rescuers, local residents and volunteers to take enough water and salt to prevent heatstroke.

According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, about 6,000 people are staying at evacuation centers. Jiji Press