Rescue efforts in Japan
Japanese rescuers on Monday search for missing residents in the town of Kumano in Hiroshima prefecture, an area that has experienced landslides and severe flooding after days of heavy rain. Officials have confirmed more than 100 disaster-related deaths in southwest Japan.
HIROSHIMA, Japan — Rescuers combed through mud-covered hillsides and near riverbanks Tuesday to look for dozens of people still missing after days of heavy rains caused flooding and mudslides in southwestern Japan, where the death toll has risen to 134.
Officials and reports say more than 50 people are still unaccounted for, many of them in the hardest-hit Hiroshima area. The Japanese government said 134 people have been confirmed dead as of early today.
Minoru Katayama, 86, rushed back to his home in Mabi city, in Okayama prefecture, and found his 88-year-old wife, Chiyoko, collapsed on the first floor. Floodwaters had started rising so fast that the elderly couple was caught by surprise.
“My wife could not climb up the stairs, and nobody else was around to help us out,” Katayama told national broadcaster NHK. His wife was among more than 20 people who were found dead in the city, where a river dike collapsed.
The assessment of casualties has been difficult because of the widespread area affected by the rainfall, flooding and landslides since late last week.