Scores feared dead after flooding
Abe mobilises forces to begin rescue work
TOKYO: Eighteen people have been confirmed dead, and at least 16 others were presumed dead in the flood-ravaged southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto, the prefectural government said, as rescue operations continued yesterday.
Rescuers struggled to reach hardhit areas along the Kuma River, which broke its banks at several locations after torrential rain struck the area early on Saturday, causing massive flooding.
At least 14 people were missing, and some residents in the prefecture’s central and southern parts, including in the cities of Yatsushiro and Hitoyoshi, became isolated after floods and mudslides cut off roads and swept away buildings.
The Japan Meteorological Agency urged local residents to remain alert as torrential rain is forecast in parts of western Japan until tomorrow.
Of the 18 confirmed fatalities, nine were in the city of Hitoyoshi, eight the town of Ashikita, and one in Tsunagi.
Sixteen more people are feared dead in the village of Kuma, including 14 from a nursing home near the river, which runs through the central part of the village.
About 50 people were rescued from the flood-hit Senjuen nursing home yesterday, the local government said. A day earlier, 14 others were found showing no vital signs but have yet to be officially declared as fatalities.
Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) personnel have been dispatched to the region as part of relief efforts. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said around 10,000 SDF personnel will be mobilised.
A rain front began bringing downpours to the region between late on Friday and early on Saturday. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued an evacuation order for a total of 203,200 residents in Kumamoto and neighbouring Kagoshima Prefecture, where more than 100 shelters were set up.
Some 4,650 homes in Kumamoto Prefecture remained without power yesterday afternoon, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co.
Residents in Hitoyoshi, Yatsushiro and some other villages in Kumamoto have been left stranded as roads have either been cut off or flooded. Police, firefighters and GSDF members have geared up in rescue efforts but are finding it difficult to reach some mountainous areas.
Meanwhile, Haruka Yamada, a resident of the town of Ashikita, said nearby houses were already flooded when she woke up to the sound of rain around 4am local time.
“I saw large trees and parts of houses being washed away and heard them crashing into something. The air is filled with the smell of leaking gas and sewage,” the 32-year-old said.
Yukinobu Katsueda, chief priest at a Buddhist temple in Kuma, said, “I heard an enormous sound of water gushing in the middle of the night. My house has been flooded to the second floor and the village is devastated.”
At the temple, 40 elderly people took shelter but without food. “We have no electricity, no water. The road is flooded and cut off. I can’t bear it if this situation continues,” Mr Katsueda said.
Mayumi Noguchi, another Ashikita resident, said, “I have lived here for more than 20 years but I’ve never seen such a calamity.” She said she saw cars being pushed out in a brown muddy river and mudslides at a nearby mountain.