Six people have died and ten others are missing following record rainfall that triggered floods and landslides in parts of Japan’s Ishikawa prefecture.
The cities of Wajima and Suzu, still recovering from a devastating earthquake on January 1, were among the most severely affected by the downpour, which started on Saturday and continued until noon local time (03:00 GMT) on Monday.
On Sunday, these cities recorded twice the usual amount of rainfall for September, according to local media reports.
Dozens of rivers overflowed, flooding roads and isolating over 100 communities across the prefecture.
Two of the deceased were discovered near a tunnel impacted by a landslide in Wajima; one was a construction worker conducting road repairs.
Among the other fatalities were two elderly men and an elderly woman, as reported by the Japan Times, citing local authorities.
Japan’s meteorological agency issued its highest “life-threatening” alert level for Ishikawa on Saturday and downgraded it to a regular warning on Sunday. However, authorities have called for continued vigilance as the torrential rain was likely to continue until at least noon on Monday.
The floodwaters overwhelmed temporary housing constructed for those displaced by the New Year’s Day earthquake. Footage from NHK showed an entire street in Wajima submerged.
The region is still recovering from the devastating 7.5 magnitude earthquake in January, which resulted in at least 236 fatalities, destroyed buildings, and caused a significant fire.
On Monday, approximately 4,000 households were without power, as reported by the Hokuriku Electric Power Company.
Over the weekend, more than 40,000 residents across four cities in Ishikawa— including Wajima, Suzu, and the town of Noto—were evacuated.
Additionally, another 16,000 residents in the Niigata and Yamagata prefectures, north of Ishikawa, were also ordered to evacuate, according to the AFP news agency.