Landslide engulfs coastal town of Atami, 20 people missing

A wave of exceptional rainfall has hit central Japan. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated due to fears of new river flooding. In the prefecture of Shizuoka the most serious situation with buildings swept away by the flood.

Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) - In Japan a wave of mud and debris caused by heavy rainfall has overwhelmed the coastal city of Atami, about 90 kilometers south of Tokyo. At least 20 people are missing, while local authorities have ordered the temporary evacuation of tens of thousands of inhabitants of several municipalities for fear that there may be further flooding.

Atami is a resort town on the Pacific Ocean coast in Shizuoka Prefecture. The landslide powered down a hillside sweeping away some buildings when it was 10:30 a.m. in Japan. Rescue teams are working to search for survivors, while power lines are down in many areas. Premier Yoshihide Suga has mobilized the army.

The disaster was caused by an exceptional wave of rain that is affecting the entire central region of the country. According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency in the Atami area 315 millimeters of rain have fallen in the last 48 hours, an amount higher than the average rainfall of the entire month of July in this area of Japan.

Tokyo itself has been severely affected by these heavy rains, which according to forecasts are expected to rage over the country until Monday. There is concern about the level of rivers that has risen sharply in the prefectures of Hiratsuka and Kanagawa, while evacuation orders have also been issued in the cities of Yokohama, Chiba and Shizuoka.

This flooding emergency is affecting a Japan still grappling with the new wave of the pandemic and with public opinion strongly opposed to the Tokyo Olympics that will still open on July 23. Just yesterday Premier Suga had declared that the Games could be held behind closed doors if the Covid-19 situation continues to be worrying.

• Japan
• Atami
• Tokyo
• landslides
• floods
• Suga
• Olympics
• Covid-19