One person has been confirmed dead and seven others are missing following torrential rains that triggered floods and landslides in Japan’s coastal Ishikawa region.
The region, still recovering from a devastating New Year’s Day earthquake, has been hit by what officials describe as “unprecedented” rainfall.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued its highest-level “life-threatening” alert for Ishikawa on Saturday, warning that the heavy downpour would continue until midday on Sunday.
More than 40,000 residents across four cities have been ordered to evacuate as at least a dozen rivers in the area have overflowed.
Among the missing are two people reportedly swept away by strong river currents, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. Additionally, four workers repairing roads damaged in the January earthquake are unaccounted for after being caught in a landslide on Saturday morning.
Wajima, one of the hardest-hit cities, recorded more than 120mm (4.7 inches) of rainfall—the heaviest downpour since records began. Streets in Wajima were shown completely submerged in footage broadcast by NHK.
JMA forecaster Sugimoto Satoshi stated the gravity of the situation, saying, “This level of downpours has never been experienced in this region before. Residents must secure their safety immediately. The risk to their lives is imminent.”
Koji Yamamoto, a local government official, reported that 60 workers had been repairing a road damaged in Wajima when a landslide struck.
“I asked [contractors] to check the safety of workers… but we are still unable to contact four people,” he told AFP, adding that rescue workers attempting to reach the site were blocked by further landslides.
The storms have also caused widespread power outages, leaving some 6,000 households without electricity and an unknown number without running water.
Two people have sustained serious injuries, and evacuation orders have been issued to 44,000 residents in Ishikawa, with an additional 16,000 people advised to evacuate in the neighboring Niigata and Yamagata prefectures.
The region, located on Honshu island’s Noto Peninsula, was also hit hard by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake on New Year’s Day, which killed 236 people.
The quake had left behind significant damage, including toppled buildings and destroyed infrastructure. Recovery efforts from the earthquake were still underway when the unprecedented rains hit.
Japan has experienced increasingly severe weather in recent years, with floods and landslides becoming more frequent and sometimes resulting in casualties.
