TOKYO: Downpours on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu caused flooding and mudslides, injuring a number of people and impacting travel during a Buddhist holiday week. Several people were reported missing.
The torrential rain that began late last week left one person missing and four others injured in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima. The low-pressure system stuck over the region has since dumped more rain in the northern parts of Kyushu.
The Japan Meteorological Agency early Monday issued the highest-level warning in Kumamoto. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency issued evacuation adviseries to tens of thousands of people in Kumamoto and six other prefectures in the region.
Rescue workers in the region were searching for several people.
In Kumamoto, they were looking for three people. A family of three was hit by a mudslide while driving to an evacuation center. Two were dug out alive but a third person was still missing. Two others were missing elsewhere in the prefecture.
Several other people were also reported missing after falling into swollen rivers in Kumamoto and nearby Fukuoka prefecture.
Television footage showed muddy water gushing down, carrying broken trees and branches, and residents wading through knee-deep floodwater.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said his government was supporting search and rescue operations for the missing and helping others in affected areas. He urged residents “to use maximum caution,” encouraging them to “please prioritize actions to save your lives.”
Heavy rain also impacted people traveling during Japan’s Buddhist “bon” holiday week.
Bullet trains connecting Kagoshima and Hakata in northern Kyushu, as well as local train services, were suspended Monday morning. Services were partially resumed in areas where the rain subsided. About 6,000 households were out of power in Kumamoto, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co.
