Heavy Downpour Across Southwestern Japan Leaves 1 Dead, 8 Others Missing - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2023) Heavy rains in Japan's Kyushu island have caused mudslides and river overflows, leaving one person killed, another one feared dead and eight others unaccounted for, Japanese media reported on Monday.

An elderly woman was confirmed dead after she and her husband were found trapped by a mudslide in their house in Fukuoka Prefecture, the Kyodo news agency said, citing local authorities. The 74-year-old husband reportedly survived.

Another woman was pulled out with no vital signs by rescuers in the Karatsu city in Saga Prefecture, while two local men remain missing, according to the report.

In Fukuoka's Kurume, rescuers have been unable to locate six people whose houses were inundated by mudslide, the news agency said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued its first highest-level alert this year in the neighboring prefectures of Fukuoka and Oita, urging residents to seek safety immediately, as the downpour is forecast to continue into Tuesday, the news agency said.

Train services between Hiroshima and Hakata stations as well as between Hakata and Kumamoto stations were halted due to heavy rains, their operators were cited as saying.

The period from the beginning of June to the middle of July is a rainy season in Japan.