One person died in a landslide and hundreds of thousands of people have been urged to evacuate their homes in southwestern Japan as forecasters on Monday warned of the “heaviest rain ever” in the region. A 77-year-old woman was confirmed dead in a landslide that hit her home overnight in rural Fukuoka, the local fire department. Three people were also missing after a landslide in Karatsu City, in Saga prefecture, which neighbours Fukuoka, local authorities said. By late Monday morning, over 420,000 people in Fukuoka prefecture and neigh-bouring Oita were under a top-level evacuation warning, which informs people: “Your life is in danger, you need to take action immediately”.

 More than 2 million people across Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Saga, Yamaguchi and Oita prefectures were under a lower-level warning, urging them to evacuate if they are in hazardous areas. Japan has a five-level evacuation order, but people cannot be compelled to leave their homes. The Japan Meteorological Agency said the heavy downpours risked flooding and landslides across the Fukuoka and Oita regions.

“A special heavy rain warning has been issued for municipalities in Fukuoka Prefecture. This is the heaviest rain ever experienced” by the region, Satoshi Sugimoto of JMA’s forecast division told reporters. “There is a very high possibility that some kind of disaster has already occurred… The situation is such that lives are in danger and safety must be secured,” he added. Footage on national broadcaster NHK showed a gash in the hillside above a home in Karatsu City that had partly collapsed into a river, with many of its traditional roof tiles smashed or sliding off.

Images from elsewhere showed surging rivers washing over bridges that normally sit well above the waterline, and floodwater turning local streets into streams. The prime minister’s office said a task force had been established to coordinate a response to the rains.

 
Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP