Japan PM Shinzo Abe visits flood-hit region, pledges financial support
Abe said the central government will allocate 400 billion yen ($ billion) to be used for reconstruction and support small businesses in their recovery efforts from the disaster.
The death toll due to the torrential rain in Japan’s Kyushu region climbed to 52 on Tuesday, with the government issuing its highest alert as the Chikugo river in Oita prefecture overflowed.
Kumamoto prefecture registered the highest number of victims at 51, while 11 people were reported missing, The Japan Times quoted authorities as saying.
In Omuta, about 200 people were left stranded at two evacuation centres after floodwaters surged in the area.
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Rescue operations continued on Sunday for dozens of other residents and caregivers who were still at the riverside care facility Senjuen, where about 60 people were trapped when floodwaters and mud gushed in, officials said.
More than 75,000 residents in the prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima were urged to evacuate following pounding rains on Friday evening and into Saturday.
Flooding also cut off power and communication lines, further delaying the search and rescue.
Nearly 6,000 homes in Kumamoto were still without electricity Sunday, according to the Kyushu Electric Power Co.
The death toll from the heavy rains that started in the early hours of July 4 is expected to climb as search efforts for the missing continued at sites hit by landslides and floods.
In 2018, more than hundred were killed due to heavy floods in parts of Japan, with dozens reportedly missing.
The rainfall that exceeded 100 millimeters (4 inches) per hour has since subsided but the Japan Meteorological Agency has kept mudslide warnings in place across Kumamoto.
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