Six dead as torrential rains trigger widespread flooding in eastern Japan
At least six people died after torrential rains triggered widespread flooding in eastern Japan, with Chiba Prefecture worst affected. Level 5 warnings were issued before being downgraded, while evacuation orders covered hundreds of thousands and thousands faced transport disruptions.
Tokyo: At least six people have died after torrential rains lashed eastern Japan from Thursday into early Friday, triggering widespread flooding, local media reported. Japan’s weather agency issued its highest Level 5 heavy rain warning for more than one-third of the municipalities in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, as authorities remained on alert amid worsening weather conditions.
A man seen on a submerged road in Ichikawa was confirmed dead. A woman (66) died after she was trapped in a car on a flooded road in Sakura, the prefectural government said, Japan-based Kyodo News reported.
Police said a man was confirmed dead after he was found unresponsive on a flooded road in Chiba Prefecture, while a man found collapsed in Sakura had also died, according to the prefectural government’s statement on Friday. Later, two people were confirmed dead, Chiba prefectural police said. Transportation was disrupted due to rains in Chiba and several parts of Tokyo, resulting in commuters being stranded on roads, according to the report. About 1,800 people gathered in a government building in the prefecture, which was made available for stranded commuters.
The authorities in Chiba, Ichikawa and other municipalities urged people to take safety measures while flooding occurred across the prefecture, resulting in traffic jams on roads. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a Level 5 warning for several places in the prefecture, including Chiba and Ichihara on Thursday. However, all the warnings were downgraded on Friday morning.
Evacuation orders were issued for over 400,000 people in Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.
As of 11 am (local time) on Friday, the evacuation orders remained in effect for around 102,600 people in Chiba prefecture, the agency said. The Cabinet Office stated that more than 200 evacuation centres were established in Chiba, Ibaraki, Saitama and Gunma prefectures, Kyodo News reported.
Power outages at one point impacted around 45,000 homes in Chiba prefecture, according to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc’s subsidiary.