At least 15 people were killed and hundreds are still stranded after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides this week in southwest Japan, authorities said.
Heavy rains hamper search efforts
Aerial television footage shows how rivers overflowing with water ripped through swathes of land, toppling houses and sweeping away roads.
More than 7,800 rescuers from the Fukuoka police force and Japan self defense forces have been working around the clock to search for missing people. But heavy rain Friday hampered their efforts, making rescue operations treacherous as they battled against thick mud and debris.
“When we get this amount of rainfall in a short amount of time it takes a lot of debris with it … Debris fields inundate whole houses and communities, ” CNN’s meteorologist Derek Van Dam said.
Earlier this week, Asakura experienced more than one and a half times its monthly average rainfall in a period of 24 hours.
