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Asia Pacific|Heavy Rain in Japan Causes Deadly Flooding and Landslides
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/22/world/asia/japan-rain-flooding-landslide.html
One person is dead and seven others are missing in Noto Peninsula, state media reported. The region is still recovering from a catastrophic earthquake earlier this year.
Sept. 22, 2024, 1:41 a.m. ET
Record rainfall in Japan’s Noto Peninsula caused deadly flooding and landslides in a region still recovering from a catastrophic earthquake earlier this year, the national broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday.
At least one person was killed and seven others are missing, NHK reported. Forecasters warned of more rain through Monday, and 100,000 people are under evacuation orders. On New Year’s Day, a powerful earthquake hit western Japan, killing more than 200 people and destroying homes and infrastructure.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency on Saturday issued an emergency heavy rain warning, the highest level of alert, for Ishikawa Prefecture, which includes Noto Peninsula. Residents’ lives were in imminent danger, the agency warned, adding that there was a high chance that a disaster had already happened in some areas.
Two cities in Ishikawa Prefecture broke rainfall records on Sunday, according to the meteorological agency. About 10.7 inches of rain fell in Wajima City in six hours, nearly double the previous record of about 5.5 inches, which was set in 2007. In the nearby Suzu City, 7.5 inches of rain fell in six hours, compared with the previous record of 5.2 inches, set in 1989.
The emergency warning was downgraded on Sunday morning, but the agency warned there would be more rain before it eased on Monday. A further three inches could fall in the Hokuriku region, which includes Ishikawa Prefecture, by the end of Sunday, the agency said, while parts of southern Japan could receive up to six inches.
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The authorities issued evacuation orders for over 100,000 people in Ishikawa and another prefecture nearby, Kumamoto, NHK reported.
One person died after a house was swept away by a landslide in Suzu City, NHK reported. Three people across Wajima City, Suzu City and the town of Noto were reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters, the broadcaster said, and four others who had been conducting earthquake restoration are missing.
In the nearby Kurobe City, in Toyama Prefecture, about 60 people were stranded while riding a tourist train after a mudslide flowed into the tunnel they were traveling through, NHK reported.
The Noto Peninsula was struck by a powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake on New Year’s Day. At least 229 people were killed, according to NHK, making it the deadliest earthquake in a decade. Later, about 100 additional people died from causes related to the earthquake, the agency said.
