The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
2 die in Hiroshima landslide
Two people were killed in a landslide that destroyed a two-story wooden house in Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, on July 14, after torrential rains battered areas in western Japan’s Chugoku region.
A neighbor who rushed to the scene said that one of the residents, Shigemi Kurakane, 55, was buried in mud up to his neck. The neighbor held Shigemi’s hand and said, “Hold on,” before firefighters arrived on the scene.
“I can’t believe it because I was sure he would make it out alive,” the neighbor said.
The body of a second victim found on the ground floor is believed to be that of Kurakane’s mother Chiyoko, 84, who lived with him in the house.
In addition to a series of landslides in Hiroshima Prefecture, the rains caused flooding that included the Gono River in western Shimane Prefecture overflowing in two places. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the 12-hour rainfall to 4:40 a.m. on July 14 hit a record high of 164.5 millimeters in Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture.
The prefectural government and the Hiroshima Local Meteorological Office issued landslide alert information throughout the prefecture.
Meanwhile, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported that over a meter of rain had fallen in areas of Kyushu since the downpours began earlier this month
About half these places have already recorded more than double the average rainfall for the entire month of July. The agency continues to warn of the risk of landslides and other disasters.
From July 3 to 13, precipitation of 1,000 millimeters or more was recorded at 18 places in nine prefectures nationwide, according to the agency. Of these, 13 places are in Kyushu, and more than double the July average was recorded in seven out of nine locations where past data could be confirmed.
The largest amount was recorded in Hita, Oita Prefecture, at 1,249 millimeters, where the Chikugo River flooded. Also experiencing flood damage was Omuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, which received 1,029.5 millimeters of rain, recording 2.7 times more than in an average July. Yunomae, Kumamoto Prefecture, on the Kuma River, which experienced extensive flooding, received 1,243.5 millimeters of rain.
In the torrential rains in northern Kyushu three years ago that left 42 people dead or missing in Fukuoka and Oita prefectures, no place recorded more than 1,000 millimeters of precipitation the total period from June 30, 2017, to July 10, 2017.