Authorities are racing against time to find more than 80 missing people after a landslide hit the Japanese town of Atami on Saturday July 3, Reuters reports. Three people have died.
Credit: Twitter/ @TabishA48514762
Credit: Twitter/ @bernamadotcom
About 90km southwest of Tokyo, the city of Atami is a prominent resort town housing 35 000 residents who were warned on 3 July to protect themselves against “life-threatening” conditions after 315 mm of rain fell in a 48-hour period, which is 30% more than the areas average for the month of July.
Atami, a popular resort town 90km from Tokyo.
The Japan Metrological Agency called on the public to exercise extreme caution after towns and cities surrounding Tokyo set new rainfall records over the weekend.
Over 1500 rescuers at the disaster site are searching for the missing persons.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsonuobu Kato urged residents to remain vigilant as more rain is forecasted, noting that the saturated earth has been weakened and that even light rain could prove dangerous.
The video below shows the destruction and the ongoing rescue operations.
