Six people have died and ten others are missing after record rainfall triggered floods and landslides in Japan’s Ishikawa prefecture.
The cities of Wajima and Suzu, still recovering from a devastating earthquake on January 1, are among the hardest hit by the deluge that began Saturday and is expected to last until noon on Monday.
On Sunday, both cities experienced rainfall amounts double their typical September averages, local media reported.
Dozens of rivers overflowed, cutting off roads and isolating over 100 communities across the prefecture.
Two of the deceased were found near a tunnel affected by a landslide in Wajima, including a construction worker conducting road repairs. Among the other fatalities were two elderly men and an elderly woman, according to The Japan Times citing local authorities.
Japan’s meteorological agency issued its highest “life-threatening” alert for Ishikawa on Saturday, later downgrading it to a regular warning on Sunday. However, authorities have urged continued caution as torrential rain is expected to persist.
The floodwaters inundated temporary housing for those displaced by the New Year’s earthquake, with NHK broadcasting footage of an entire street in Wajima submerged.
The region is still recovering from the 7.5 magnitude earthquake in January, which resulted in at least 236 deaths, collapsed buildings, and a major fire.
As of Monday, approximately 4,000 households were without power, according to Hokuriku Electric Power Company.
Over the weekend, more than 40,000 residents from four cities in Ishikawa—including Wajima, Suzu, and Noto—were evacuated, with an additional 16,000 residents in the nearby Niigata and Yamagata prefectures also receiving evacuation orders, as reported by AFP.
