At least six people have died and five others were injured after record rainfall struck Japan’s Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, authorities and Japanese media reports said.
The downpour caused widespread flooding, landslides and transport disruption. More than 20,000 households lost electricity, while about 7,000 travellers were stranded overnight at Tokyo’s Narita Airport after transport links to and from the airport were affected.
Chiba authorities said rainfall exceeded 100mm an hour from Thursday afternoon. The Japan Meteorological Agency described the event as an unprecedented level of heavy rain, saying warm, humid air flowing into eastern Japan combined with colder air above, creating highly unstable atmospheric conditions.
Reports by NHK, Kyodo and the Asahi newspaper said one woman died after her car was submerged on a flooded road. Two other people collapsed in the street and later died. The circumstances of the remaining deaths were not detailed in the reports.
Evacuations and continuing risks
Authorities issued their highest, level-five emergency warning on Thursday and asked more than 100,000 households to evacuate. The alert was lowered to level four by Friday morning, although officials continued to warn residents about possible flooding and landslides.
Several rail services remained suspended on Friday, and some major highways were closed. Passengers were also left stranded at metro stations, while around 1,800 people stayed overnight at the Chiba Prefectural Government building.
Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai said the situation was exceptionally unusual by Japan’s historical weather standards. He said rescue operations would continue, with saving lives the priority.
Narita Airport said flights were scheduled to operate normally on Friday. Japan Airlines said some services could be delayed, but it did not expect cancellations.
The rain was forecast to continue until late Friday. The storm followed a week of severe weather across Japan and neighbouring countries, with storms including Dolphin, Chan-Hom and Peilou moving across the region.
Source: BBC News
