Local authorities in the Japanese cities of Akone and Isa have requested the evacuation of more than two hundred thousand residents after the rain and floods in the provinces of Kumamoto and Kagoshima, southwest of the Japanese archipelago, caused the death of 15 elderly people from a heart attack in a center for the elderly who was exposed to the flood. Three people died due to hypothermia due to being partially submerged in water.
The authorities found two people who died of a heart attack after landslides in the town of Tsamagi in Kumamoto, and many were seriously injured, and more than 10 people are missing in the towns of Tsunagi and the town of Ashikita.
Reports showed people hanging above their homes or in high ground.
And rescue and relief operations are taking place with the participation of about 10,000 Japanese forces. Traffic on Kyushu railways and roads has been disrupted. Shinkansen high-speed rail services were also suspended between Kumamoto and Kagoshima-cho Stations.
The meteorological agency reported heavy rain from a monsoon front in the Kyushu region in southwestern Japan, and a rain rate of 500 mm in places such as the town of Yonomae. The Kuma also overflowed 11 sites and dredged two bridges along its path. Muddy streams were completely submerged in two-story houses. Landslides occurred in 15 locations in that region.
The Natural Disaster Agency issued a fifth-degree warning in Kumamoto Prefecture, the highest, and the Japan Meteorological Agency warned of the seriousness of the situation and called on the population to protect themselves. Residents were evacuated near a dam. The government has set up an emergency center in the Prime Minister, where heavy rain is expected to continue for 5 days.