The death toll from torrential rains and flooding that swept through Japan’s south has reached 25, the government said yesterday, as rescue teams battled through thick mud to rescue more than 100 still stranded.
Further downpours were predicted to pound Kyushu after swathes of the southwestern island were devastated last week by overflowing rivers — sweeping away roads, houses and schools and forcing thousands of people into makeshift shelters.
But many remain stranded, with emergency services struggling to reach them amid treacherous conditions.
Some 150 people were still cut off as of Monday evening in hardest-hit Fukuoka and Oita prefectures, according to local government officials.
A total of 25 people have died while at least 25 remain unaccounted for, chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Tokyo yesterday at an official briefing.
Some 12,000 rescuers were making “utmost” efforts to find survivors and clear washed up driftwood hampering the search, Suga said.
People ride motorcycles under heavy rain in Rong’an County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.
