Record Rain in Japan Kills 4, Strands Thousands
Theo Al Jazeera English
Record rainfall in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, has killed at least four people and stranded thousands of travelers during the Bon holiday, one of the country's peak travel periods.
Record rainfall over the past 24 hours in Japan's Chiba Prefecture has killed at least four people and isolated thousands of residents and travelers, severely disrupting transport and daily life during the Bon holiday week.
Rainfall in some parts of Chiba exceeded 360mm within 24 hours as of early Friday morning (August 12), leaving many roads and railway lines submerged. According to the Chiba Prefecture Disaster Management Office, the victims include a man in his 60s or 70s found dead on a flooded road and a 66-year-old woman trapped in a submerged car. Two other deaths include a man found collapsed on a road and another person whose gender and age have not been identified.
Local officials added that one person is believed to have died and another remains missing. Authorities have deployed soldiers to the area to support rescue and relief operations.
Speaking to reporters on Friday morning, Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai said, “This is an extremely unusual situation. I have dealt with many disasters in the past, but I have never experienced anything like this.”
According to Tokyo Electric Power Company, more than 22,000 households in Chiba had lost power as of 11 a.m. local time. Around 80 homes were flooded, and more than 230,000 residents were advised to evacuate to safety.
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force said it evacuated 4,000 people from Soga Station after they were stranded for hours due to flooding. Thousands of others also spent the night at Narita International Airport, which serves Tokyo, as train lines out of the area were suspended. Hundreds of people were taken to the Chiba prefectural government headquarters for shelter overnight.
By Friday morning, train services had partially resumed but remained delayed, while flights to and from Narita Airport were operating normally. The Japan Meteorological Agency downgraded its highest heavy rain warning for more than a dozen cities in Chiba as rain began to ease on Friday morning, but more rain was still forecast for the day.
Television images and videos showed homes, cars, and railway tracks submerged in muddy water, with widespread damage visible after daylight.
