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Japan PM visits flood-hit town

September 12, 2015

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sought to reassure residents of a flood-hit community north of Tokyo, where a levee was overrun by torrential rain. Hundreds of troops have been deployed to search for survivors.

https://p.dw.com/p/1GVRE
Japan Überschwemmung durch Taifun Etau Shinzo Abe
Image: Reuters/Kyodo

Rescue teams in helicopters and boats were scouring water-logged buildings Saturday for more than a dozen people still unaccounted for in Joso, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the capital, Tokyo.

Parts of the community in the Ibaraki prefecture were washed away when the Kinugawa River broke its banks on Thursday, sending water surging toward homes.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (pictured above), who visited Joso on Saturday, told reporters the government would do all it could "to swiftly repair the broken levees and remove water as quickly as possible to prevent a repeat of this disaster."

Abe also flew over the flood-devastated region and later met with evacuees who had been forced to leave their homes.

Although waters have begun to recede, about 100 people were still trapped inside buildings, while more than 1,000 others were rescued from roofs. Officials could be seen probing the mud with poles to locate possible victims, with about 15 people still unaccounted for in the city.

"We are working hard to rescue people trapped in buildings and find those who still are unaccounted for, while pumping out water," a local government official said.

"But water levels are still high in many areas; so that has hampered our operation."

Japan Überschwemmung durch Taifun Etau
Residents assess the damage in JosoImage: Reuters/I. Kato

Unprecedented rainfall

Massive floods had torn through the region on Thursday following days of heavy rain, ripping houses from their foundations and causing landslides. At least three people were killed and 27 injured, according to the Kyodo news agency.

In Kanuma city, north of Joso, a 63-year-old woman was killed in a landslide, officials said, while a 48-year-old woman was also found dead in Miyagi prefecture. Police said the third victim was a 25-year-old man helping to clear clogged drains in the city of Nikko.

The flooding forced as many as 100,000 people to evacuate. In Joso, nearly 5,000 people spent the night in makeshift shelters, and it could be days before they're allowed back into their homes.

The unprecedented rainfall came in the wake of Typhoon Etau, which had swept across the country earlier in the week.

nm/sms (AFP, Reuters, dpa)