Heavy flooding and landslides that recently struck southwestern Japan have resulted in 41 people being killed, the country's NHK broadcaster reported on Monday
TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th July, 2020) Heavy flooding and landslides that recently struck southwestern Japan have resulted in 41 people being killed, the country's NHK broadcaster reported on Monday.
On Sunday, the authorities stated that 24 people were killed and 12 missing.
The broadcaster said that the death toll was now at 41 as of 5:00 p.m. local time (08:00 GMT), and data on the number of people who went missing had not been updated yet.
Record-setting rainfall, which saw some regions receive as much as four inches of rain per hour, battered southwestern Japan in the early hours of Saturday. The rainfall caused the Kuma River to overflow its banks in several areas, cutting off roughly 30 districts in the Kumamoto prefecture.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has declared the most severe emergency heavy rain warnings in three prefectures in southwestern Japan due to the rains and subsequent flooding. National broadcasters urge people to immediately evacuate to the nearest temporary accommodation sites if possible or climb to the upper floors of buildings.
The Japanese government has mobilized 10,000 members of the country's Self-Defense Forces to aid with recovery and rescue operations.
