- In the Atami resort in central Japan, at least 64 people were buried in the mud.
- Four people have been confirmed dead and 130 houses have been destroyed.
- Japan has issued non-compulsory evacuation orders to more than 35,700 people.
Rescue workers hope to find at least 64 people buried under the mud and wreckage of a Japanese resort town that was hit by a devastating landslide. Rescue teams will continue their desperate search for survivors on Tuesday.
Two days ago, a puddle of mud washed down the mountainside and passed through part of the Atami hot spring resort in central Japan. Soldiers and first responders used hand-held poles and mechanical excavators to sift through the muddy debris.
City officials said rescue operations were suspended at night and will resume early on Tuesday.
Four people have been confirmed dead, although officials are trying to find out the whereabouts of dozens of people while searching for the wreckage of 130 houses and other destroyed buildings.
In this disaster, the tower was torn down, the vehicle was buried, the building was dumped from the foundation, and the aerial footage of the top of the mountain showed that a distinctive brown wedge was dug from the green hillside.
“As of today, at least 64 people are still missing,” the city’s disaster management spokesperson Yuta Hara told AFP after publishing their names in the city to gather information about their conditions.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that the focus is still on finding survivors, and hundreds of rescuers “do their best to rescue as many people as possible as soon as possible.”
In the rainy season in Japan each year, after several days of heavy downpours in Atami and its surrounding areas, Saturday’s landslide descended with several waves of violent waves.
On Sunday, survivors at a nearby evacuation center told AFP that they panicked when the landslide started.
Resident Yamada Kazuyo said:
When I opened the door, everyone rushed to the street, and a policeman came up to me and said:’What are you doing here, you have to hurry up, everyone is evacuating!
“So I went out in the rain in a hurry, didn’t change clothes, only brought a bag.”
Kyodo News said that city officials identified one of the dead as 82-year-old Suzuki Chiyo.
Her 56-year-old son Hitoshi told Kyodo News that when the police told them to evacuate, he regretted not taking his mother-she could not walk-with him.
To quote him, “I should go back and take her out” instead of leaving her behind. Suzuki was taken to the hospital by rescuers, but died there.
-More rainfall forecasts-
A spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that he felt “sorrowful” over reports of the destruction and expressed “deep condolences” to the families of the victims, the Japanese government and people.
According to Kyodo News, the authorities are investigating whether about 54,000 cubic meters of soil left by a real estate company on the mountain in 2007 caused the disaster.
On Monday, rescuers used the rain break to continue their search, wading through the turbid stream, and removing blocks of wood and other debris.
On July 5, 2021, a landslide in Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture, southern Tokyo, Japan caused a landslide. Firefighters and the Japanese Self-Defense Force continued their search and rescue operations. (David Mareuil/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Japan has issued non-compulsory evacuation orders to more than 35,700 people, most of which are located in the Shizuoka area, including Atami, about 90 kilometers southwest of Tokyo.
The Bureau of Meteorology predicts heavy rain in a wider area and warns that more landslides may occur.
According to reports, the rainfall recorded by Atami in 48 hours exceeded the normal rainfall for the entire July. The survivors told the local media that they had never experienced such a heavy rainfall in their lifetime.
Scientists say that climate change is exacerbating the rainy season in Japan because the warm atmosphere can hold more water.
In 2018, devastating floods flooded western Japan and killed more than 200 people. Last year, the coronavirus pandemic complicated rescue efforts and dozens of people died.
