DISASTERS
Huge search after Japan mudslide
July 5, 2021 - Rescuers are searching for survivors with over 100 people still missing after landslides hit the popular resort of Atami. Officials had initially said about 20 people remained unaccounted for, but the number rose to 113 after they checked residential registers rather than relying on reports of missing people.
The disaster is an added trial as authorities prepare for the Tokyo Olympics, due to start in less than three weeks, while Japan is still in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, with cases steadily climbing in in the capital and experts suggesting a need for another state of emergency.
The landslide occurred Saturday morning after days of heavy rain in Atami, a town of 36,800 and about 100km southwest of Tokyo.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of residents in three prefectures – Shizuoka, Kanagawa and Chiba – have been ordered to evacuate following warnings of further flooding in low-lying areas.