WEB DESK
In Japan, the rescue teams battling heavy rain pulled survivors from their ruined homes after a landslide struck the coastal city of Atami. Three people have lost their lives and dozens are still missing after a torrent of mud swept the city, south-west of Tokyo, on Saturday. Authorities said an elderly couple was among 23 people rescued till yesterday.
Japanese media showed footage of rescue workers searching for life in the remains of crushed buildings. Some 80 people are still unaccounted for, according to the city mayor. Today, there were about 1,500 rescue workers searching at the site, including police, firefighters and members of the military.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters that they want to rescue as many victims buried in the rubble as soon as possible. Yuta Hara, a Spokesman for Atami city hall, told a news agency that the rain had made the ground unstable and about 387 people had been evacuated. Residents said the mudslide struck at about 10.30 a.m. local time on Saturday after days of torrential rain in central and eastern Japan.
The city – a resort popular for its hot springs – saw more rainfall in the first three days of July than it usually sees in the whole month. 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. Prime Minister Suga, who held emergency talks with Ministers yesterday, has asked people in the worst-affected districts to stay vigil and to take precautions.