10 killed in Japan landslides and floods

The death toll from torrential rains that caused flooding and mudslides in eastern Japan rose to 10, with a further four missing, public broadcaster NHK reported, just two weeks after the region was hit hard by a powerful typhoon.

Landslides ripped through waterlogged areas in Chiba, east of Tokyo, and Fukushima northeast of the capital, which were inundated by their third rainstorms in six weeks. In some places, a month’s worth of rain unleashed by a low pressure system fell in half a day.

Evacuation orders and advisories were issued along much of the northern corridor already hit by two typhoons since last month. The city of Ushiku in Chiba received 283.5 mm (11 inches) of rain over 12 hours.

Although the storm had moved away from Japan by Saturday, hundreds of residents were still in evacuation centres and some rail and bus services remained suspended.

The torrential downpour also forced rivers some roads to close and around 4,700 households were still without water in Chiba, the public broadcaster said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a disaster task force meeting on Saturday, calling for the utmost efforts in rescue and relief work, and assessing the damage. _Agencies

Dhaka/AKA