Thousands without water, power; 122 dead
HIROSHIMA: Rescuers combed through mudcovered hillsides and near riverbanks yesterday to look for dozens of people still missing after days of heavy rains caused flooding and landslips in southwestern Japan, where the death toll has risen to 122.
Officials and reports say more than 80 people are still unaccounted for, many of them in the hardesthit Hiroshima area. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 122 people had been confirmed dead by early yesterday.
The assessment of casualties has been difficult because of the widespread area affected.
Rivers overflowed, turning towns into lakes and leaving dozens of people stranded on rooftops. Military paddle boats and helicopters brought people to the ground.
Thousands of homes were without clean water and electricity in Hiroshima and other hardhit areas, where many people lined up for water tanks as temperatures rose as high as 34degC, prompting concerns about people’s health. Thousands have evacuated their homes.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cancelled a planned July 1118 trip to Europe and the Middle East to oversee the response. He said the Government had dispatched 73,000 troops and emergency workers for the search and rescue effort.