Japanese soldiers and rescuers were dispatched to regions in the southern island of Kyushu after heavy rains caused floods and landslides. At least 26 people have been killed and districts were cut off.
68-year-old Isao Shiraishi of Kumamoto Prefecture lost his father in a mudslide that also destroyed his family’s antique store. His father had been wary of disasters after a major flood in the region in July 1990, he told the Kyodo news agency.
“We didn’t expect this rain to be even worse than what we experienced at that time,” Shiraishi said.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by the floods, with many staying in evacuation centers, the BBC reported. The former capital, Kyoto, was also hit with floods.
Around 250,000 people have been told to leave their homes in Fukuoka, Saga, Kumamoto and Oita prefectures.
Around 5,000 people were cut off by landslides in Yame.
“We will continue sending emergency ration to people there as it is still unknown when we can secure access to the area,” Kayo Shinohara, a spokesperson for the Yame City government, told AFP. “We are trying to do our best to remove rubble as soon as possible.”
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