Two feared dead as others missing as torrential rain batters southwestern Japan
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a special heavy rain warning for parts of Kumamoto Prefecture but downgraded it to a heavy rain warning in the afternoon, while still urging residents in the affected areas to remain alert, Kyodo News Agency reported.
A man who was evacuating with his family went missing after their car was swept away by a landslide in Kosa in the prefecture.
The mother and two children were rescued, while local police said they are confirming the identity of a man who was later found nearby with no vital signs.
In Yatsushiro, a woman with no vital signs was found inside a car that had fallen into an irrigation canal.
There were also reports of people being swept away and landslides washing away houses and cars in the prefecture and neighbouring Fukuoka Prefecture.
A man in his 60s was rescued from a collapsed house in Misato, Kumamoto, and taken to hospital, according to local firefighters.
People cycle and walk in heavy rain in the city of Kumamoto, Kumomoto prefecture, southwestern Japan, on August 11, 2025. Japanese authorities on August 11 urged millions to evacuate their homes after heavy rains unleashed floods and landslides in the country's southwest, leaving several residents missing. -- Photo by JIJI Press / AFP
At a campsite in Kamiamakusa, 15 visitors and staff members were temporarily stranded after a road leading to the area was blocked by a landslide. They were later rescued by local firefighters.
In Fukutsu, Fukuoka, two people in their 60s were swept away by a river on Sunday afternoon, and rescue operations are ongoing, according to local authorities.
Meanwhile, a woman in her 30s was confirmed dead Monday in Aira, Kagoshima Prefecture, local police said. She was found Sunday in her house, which had collapsed in a landslide Friday following heavy rains.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters Monday morning his government is "committed to implementing disaster response measures", while urging residents to remain vigilant.
JR Kyushu, which serves southwestern Japan, said it suspended all bullet train services from the start of operations in the morning but resumed them in the afternoon.
The weather agency has been warning of extreme rainfall in Kumamoto and Nagasaki prefectures as a rainband stretching across the Japanese archipelago has inundated wide areas of the country.
Tamana in Kumamoto recorded 370 millimetres of rainfall in six hours through early Monday, nearly double the city's average precipitation for all of August, according to the weather agency. - Bernama-Kyodo
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Torrential rains batter Kyushu
Pushing on: A vehicle advancing through a flooded road in Kumamoto, southern Japan. — AP Downpours on the southern main island of Kyushu caused flooding and mudslides, injuring a number of people and disrupting travel during a Buddhist holiday week. Evacuation advisories were issued and several were reported missing. A low-pressure system has been stuck over the region since last week, dumping torrential rain over the southern prefecture of Kagoshima and the island's northern part. The Japan Meteorological Agency early yesterday issued the highest-level warning in the prefecture of Kumamoto, saying rainfall had exceeded 40cm in the last 24 hours and more was expected through today over Kyushu. The agency later downgraded the alert for Kumamoto as the showers moved east towards the Tokyo region, but kept a lower-level warning for western Japan, where up to 20cm of rainfall was expected by noon today. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said local authorities have issued evacuation advisories to tens of thousands of people in Kumamoto and six other prefectures in the region. Defence troops were deployed to Kagoshima to provide fresh water to the residents in the affected areas, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said. In Kumamoto, rescue workers were looking for three people: a family of three hit by a mudslide while driving to an evacuation centre. Two were dug out alive, but a third person was still missing. Two others were missing elsewhere in the prefecture. Several other people were also reported missing after falling into swollen rivers in Kumamoto and the nearby Fukuoka prefecture. In Kamiamakusa city, about 20 people stranded at a camping site and a couple of other residential areas are waiting for rescuers, NHK public television reported. Television footage showed muddy water gushing down, carrying broken trees and branches, and residents wading through knee-deep floodwater. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said his government was supporting search and rescue operations for the missing and helping others in affected areas. He urged residents 'to use maximum caution,' encouraging them to 'please prioritise actions to save your lives'. Heavy rain also impacted people travelling during Japan's Buddhist 'bon' holiday week. Bullet trains connecting Kagoshima and Hakata in northern Kyushu, as well as local train services, were suspended yesterday morning. While trains partially resumed in Kyushu, services were starting to be affected in western Japan as heavy rains gradually headed east. About 6,000 households were out of power in Kumamoto, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co, but nearly half got the power back later yesterday. The torrential rains last week left one person missing and four injured in Kagoshima. — AP
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Two feared dead as others missing as torrential rain batters southwestern Japan
FUKUOKA, Japan Bernama-Kyodo): At least two people are feared dead and others remain missing in southwestern Japan on Monday as torrential rains batter the region, triggering floods and landslides, according to local authorities and rescuers. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a special heavy rain warning for parts of Kumamoto Prefecture but downgraded it to a heavy rain warning in the afternoon, while still urging residents in the affected areas to remain alert, Kyodo News Agency reported. A man who was evacuating with his family went missing after their car was swept away by a landslide in Kosa in the prefecture. The mother and two children were rescued, while local police said they are confirming the identity of a man who was later found nearby with no vital signs. In Yatsushiro, a woman with no vital signs was found inside a car that had fallen into an irrigation canal. There were also reports of people being swept away and landslides washing away houses and cars in the prefecture and neighbouring Fukuoka Prefecture. A man in his 60s was rescued from a collapsed house in Misato, Kumamoto, and taken to hospital, according to local firefighters. People cycle and walk in heavy rain in the city of Kumamoto, Kumomoto prefecture, southwestern Japan, on August 11, 2025. Japanese authorities on August 11 urged millions to evacuate their homes after heavy rains unleashed floods and landslides in the country's southwest, leaving several residents missing. -- Photo by JIJI Press / AFP At a campsite in Kamiamakusa, 15 visitors and staff members were temporarily stranded after a road leading to the area was blocked by a landslide. They were later rescued by local firefighters. In Fukutsu, Fukuoka, two people in their 60s were swept away by a river on Sunday afternoon, and rescue operations are ongoing, according to local authorities. Meanwhile, a woman in her 30s was confirmed dead Monday in Aira, Kagoshima Prefecture, local police said. She was found Sunday in her house, which had collapsed in a landslide Friday following heavy rains. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters Monday morning his government is "committed to implementing disaster response measures", while urging residents to remain vigilant. JR Kyushu, which serves southwestern Japan, said it suspended all bullet train services from the start of operations in the morning but resumed them in the afternoon. The weather agency has been warning of extreme rainfall in Kumamoto and Nagasaki prefectures as a rainband stretching across the Japanese archipelago has inundated wide areas of the country. Tamana in Kumamoto recorded 370 millimetres of rainfall in six hours through early Monday, nearly double the city's average precipitation for all of August, according to the weather agency. - Bernama-Kyodo
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Torrential rains in southern Japan cause flooding, mudslides, and travel disruptions
Rescue workers conduct a search and rescue operation for a missing man at the landslide site caused by heavy rain in Kosa Town, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Monday, August 11, 2025, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Photo Kyodo/via REUTERS TOKYO (AP): Downpours on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu caused flooding and mudslides on Monday, injuring a number of people and disrupting travel during a Buddhist holiday week. Evacuation advisories were issued and several people were reported missing. A low-pressure system has been stuck over the region since last week, dumping torrential rain over the southern prefecture of Kagoshima and the island's northern part. The Japan Meteorological Agency early Monday issued the highest-level warning in the prefecture of Kumamoto, saying rainfall had exceeded 40 centimeters (15.7 inches) in the last 24 hours and more was expected through Tuesday afternoon over Kyushu. The agency later downgraded the alert for Kumamoto as the showers moved east toward the Tokyo region, but kept a lower-level warning for western Japan, where up to 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) of rainfall was expected by noon Tuesday. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said local authorities have issued evacuation advisories to tens of thousands of people in Kumamoto and six other prefectures in the region. Defense troops were deployed to Kagoshima to provide fresh water to the residents in the affected areas, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said. In Kumamoto, rescue workers were looking for missing people. A man who went missing while three of his family members waited in a car to head to an evacuation center just as a mudslide hit. The people in the car were rescued, but the man was later found with no vital signs, according to prefecture officials. At another location in Kumamoto, an elderly woman was found inside a vehicle that had fallen into a river, but her condition was unknown. Three others were reported missing after falling into swollen rivers, while a person buried underneath a mudslide was rescued alive. Two people were also reported missing after falling into rivers in nearby Fukuoka prefecture. In Kamiamakusa city, about 20 people stranded at a camping site and a couple of other residential areas are waiting for rescuers, NHK public television reported. Television footage showed muddy water gushing down, carrying broken trees and branches, and residents wading through knee-deep floodwater. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said his government was supporting search and rescue operations for the missing and helping others in affected areas. He urged residents "to use maximum caution," encouraging them to "please prioritize actions to save your lives.' Heavy rain also impacted people traveling during Japan's Buddhist "Bon' holiday week. Bullet trains connecting Kagoshima and Hakata in northern Kyushu, as well as local train services, were suspended Monday morning. While trains partially resumed in Kyushu, services were starting to be affected in western Japan as heavy rains gradually headed east. About 6,000 households were out of power in Kumamoto, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co., but nearly half got the power back later Monday. The torrential rains last week left one person missing and four injured in Kagoshima. - AP
