On Monday, rescuers dig in the mud and wreckage, looking for more than 20 people who may be trapped in a torrent of mud, trees and rocks Japanese At least four people were killed in a seaside resort town.
Atami Mayor Saitoei said that 24 people were still unreachable on Tuesday morning, after the city announced the names of more than 60 registered residents whose whereabouts were unaccounted for on Monday night, most of whom responded to requests for contact. Officials carefully checked this number because many apartments and houses in Atami are second homes or vacation rentals.
Initially, 147 people could not be contacted, but officials confirmed that many had been evacuated safely or were not at home at all. In addition to the 4 deaths found, officials said that 25 people have been rescued and 3 of them were injured.
This disaster is an additional test because the authorities are preparing for the Tokyo Olympics. The Tokyo Olympics will begin in less than three weeks, while Japan is still in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic. Cases in the capital are steadily rising. Experts suggest the need An emergency in another country.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters that rescuers are doing their best to “rescue those who may be buried in the mud and wait for rescue as soon as possible.” Three maritime police boats and six military drones provide support to hundreds of soldiers, firefighters and others who work hard in the rain and fog.
The landslide occurred after several days of heavy rain in Atami. Like many Japanese seaside towns, it was built on a steep hillside. It tore apart the Izuyama community, famous for its hot springs, shrines, and shopping streets. The town has a registered population of 36,800 and is located approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
Heita Kawakatsu, Governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, inspected areas believed to be landslides on Monday. He said that rainwater seeping into the mountainside apparently weakened the ground under a large amount of soil at the construction site and then slid down the slope.
The county government is investigating. According to media reports, the housing development plan in the area was abandoned after its operators encountered financial problems.
Witnesses said that when a small stream turned into a torrent, it would make a huge roar, and bystanders gasped in horror in the video taken by the mobile phone.
The actor Date Naoto who visited Mount Izu was awakened by the sound of a siren. His community is now submerged in mud, and rescuers trudge through knee-deep mud. Only a few blocks away from his home, some houses have been completely washed away, leaving only the foundations. Broken traffic signs stick out from the mud. On the seashore, he saw the car floating with the debris of the destroyed house.
“I grew up here, and my classmates and friends live here. I am sad to see my neighbor, I often play with my friends, and it is now destroyed,” Japan told the Associated Press reporter, calling via video From his home in Atami.
Although Date’s mother, who lives next door, has moved to a hotel with other evacuees, the actor said that he stayed away from the evacuation center because he was worried about the coronavirus.
The Mount Izu area is one of the 660,000 locations in Japan identified by the government as prone to mudslides, but these designations are not widely publicized and public awareness is low. At the beginning of July, the rainy season in Japan is coming to an end, which is often a period of deadly floods and mudslides. Many experts say that due to climate change, rainfall is worsening.
As heavy rains are expected in other parts of the country, the authorities urge people near the slopes in dangerous areas to proceed with caution. The public broadcaster NHK aired a program on Monday about the risk factors and warning signs of possible landslides.
A year ago, Kumamoto Prefecture and four other prefectures in the Kyushu region of southern Japan caused floods and mudslides due to heavy rains, which killed nearly 80 people. In July 2018, a hillside in a crowded residential area in Hiroshima collapsed, killing 20 people. In 2017, mudslides and floods in Kyushu caused 40 deaths.
Miyoko Okamoto, an employee of the nursing home, said that the mudslide was near her home, but almost missed it. She and her son ran out of the house, while her husband, a head of a community association, escorted neighbors to a safer place.
Okamoto said that she never returned home after escaping because she was helping residents of the nursing home. “We are lucky to survive, this is the most important thing,” she said.
But her neighbor is still looking for his wife. “They are our good friends,” she said, “it hurts my heart.”
Yamaguchi reports from Tokyo. Associated Press reporter Haruka Nuga of Atami contributed to this report.
© 2021 Canadian Press
