Survivor window shuts in Japan landslide, 24 unknown 24

[ad_1]

An aerial view shows the site of a mudslide caused by heavy rain in Izusan, Atami, Japan, on July 3, 2021. Image Credit: Reuters

TOKYO: More than 1,000 soldiers and rescue workers joined an increasingly desperate search Tuesday for survivors at a Japanese resort devastated by a landslide three days ago.

Four people were confirmed dead after the Atami disaster in central Japan, and officials said they were still unable to clarify the fate or whereabouts of 24 other residents.

Helicopter photos showed a grim streak of sludge and debris writhing on a hillside at Atami, a popular hot springs destination.

Rescuers trawled destroyed homes and waded through vast mounds of mud at the end of the 72-hour period that experts say is crucial in the race to save lives.

“There is only so much time left… We will give everything we have during the time we have left and pray that we can find as many people as possible,” Atami Mayor Sakai Saito said at a meeting of local officials. Tuesday morning.

At one point, the missing residents numbered more than 100, but officials said they were able to track down most of them and make sure they were safe.

“Those who are still missing are 24,” Saito told the televised meeting.

Confirming the number of people missing after the disaster has been complicated, local media said – many families have summer homes in Atami but already live elsewhere, while elderly residents may have moved into care homes.

The landslide occurred in several violent waves on Saturday morning during Japan’s annual rainy season.

It came after days of torrential rain in and around Atami, which is about 90 kilometers (55 miles) southwest of Tokyo.

Towers were toppled, vehicles were buried and buildings were toppled from their foundations in the disaster that destroyed 130 homes and other buildings.

On Monday, city officials said they had identified one of the dead as 82-year-old Chiyos Suzuki.

Her eldest son, Hitoshi, 56, told Kyodo that he regretted not taking his mother – who could not walk well – when the police ordered them to evacuate.

“I should have gone back and got her out of there myself” rather than leaving her behind, he was quoted as saying.

Suzuki was taken to the hospital by rescuers but they died there.

Atami reportedly recorded more rain in 48 hours than usual throughout the entire month of July, and survivors told local media they had never experienced such heavy rain in their lives.

Scientists say climate change is making Japan’s rainy season more intense because a warmer atmosphere holds more water.

In 2018, more than 200 people died in devastating floods in western Japan, and dozens died last year as the coronavirus pandemic complicated relief efforts.

[ad_2]