Landslide in Japan Leaves 4 Dead, 80 Missing; Rescue Ops Underway

Rescue operations underway after a landslide hit the popular hill station Atami in Japan on 3 July.

(Photo Courtesy: PTI)

Rescue operations are still underway in Japan's Atami, two days after a landslide hit the popular seaside resort town in Shizuoka on Saturday, 3 July, leaving four dead and more than 80 people missing.

The massive mudslide was triggered by torrential rain that hit Atami. The disaster occurred on Saturday at 10:30 am as heavy rainfall swept the central and eastern Japan, news agency Xinhua reported.

Atami has experienced severe rainfall in the first three days of July, with some areas receiving more rain in a 24-hour period than Japan usually sees in the whole month.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said heavy rain is expected and warned the public to be vigilant against further mudslides, flooding and swollen rivers.

Rescue Operations Underway in Atami, Japan.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter / @greenpeace)

Rescue Operations Underway

About 1,500 rescuers and firefighters are conducting a search and rescue operations for survivors. The number of the missing has come down to 80 from the earlier 113, and two people were found alive and unharmed on Monday, reported Reuters.

As torrential rains continued on Sunday, 4 July, the rescue operation was suspended temporarily.

Rescue Operations in Atami as landslide damages the hill town.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter / @greenpeace)

Disaster management official Takamichi Sugiyama, who is in charge of rescue operations, reportedly stated that the team has rescued twenty-four people till now from Atami town.

"Eighty people were still unaccounted for two days after the landslide. We are doing our best to rescue survivors while carefully checking the weather and other conditions," he added.

According to AP, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that rescue workers are doing their utmost “to rescue those who may be buried under the mud and waiting for help as soon as possible.

Damages Caused by the Landslide

The landslide has ripped through the entire town, damaging more than 130 buildings, according to Reuters.

The disaster completely destroyed some houses when mud cascaded from a mountain top, travelling a distance of about 2 km.

The severe rains has also disrupted the public transport system and the bullet train service between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka are halted temporarily, a local news agency reported.

Landslide in Atami, Japan.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter / @greenpeace)

AP quoted officials who inspected the area on Monday as saying that they believe that rain soaked into the mountain side and possibly weakened the ground, causing a pile of soil at a construction site to cascade down the slope.

Videos of the landslide shared on social media show the mud plummeting down the hill through the city of Atami and towards the sea.

(With inputs from IANS, PTI, AP and Reuters)