Japan issues fresh landslide and flood warning as death toll soars to 54

As torrential rain moved over the centre of the country, Japan government reportedly issued fresh landslide and flooding warning on July 8. The heavy rains, which began earlier this week, has triggered mudslides and has also caused devastation across the southwestern portion of the country. According to reports, nearly 54 people have died after several days of flooding and most of them from the hardest-hit Kumamoto prefecture. 

As the weather front is now moving north, Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reportedly issued its highest level warning for Gifu and Nagano prefectures in central Japan. While speaking to a media outlet, a JMA official said that the heavy rains are at an ‘unprecedented level’. He reportedly warned that there is an ‘extreme possibility’ that some kind of disaster is already happening in the areas which have been designated as high risk for landslides and flooding. He also said that it is a situation where people have to do their best to protect their lives. 

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The warning by JMA comes after parts of Nagano and Gifu in central Japan were submerged by massive downpours. As per reports, in a mountainous town of Takayama, several houses were also hit by a mudslide. In a desperate effort to reach survivors stranded by flooding and landslide, the government reportedly deployed nearly 80,000 rescue workers. 

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14 missing, 4 feared to be dead

On July 7, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe even pledged to double the number of troops involved in the rescue effort to 20,000 as the toll in disaster has risen steadily and rescue workers have been discovering new casualties. With the growing concern of heavy rains, about 3.6 million people across the country were also advised to evacuate. However, the officials also added that the evacuation is not mandatory. 

While the rains caused fresh flooding in central Japan, flooding was still affecting the southern region of the country. The search and rescue operations are still taking place in Kumamoto as officials said that 14 people are still missing and four feared to be dead. Currently, Japan is in the middle of its annual rainy season as wet and warm air from the East China Sea flows above the country. Several experts believe that the recent deadly floods and landslides have also been triggered by climate change as a warmer atmosphere holds more water. 

(Image: AP) 

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READ: Death Toll From Flooding In Japan Reaches 55, Dozen Missing