More than 40,000 police, firefighters, coast guards and soldiers are hard at work looking for survivors in Japan, Sunday July 5. Torrential rain fell in the Kumamoto region on Saturday, destroying homes, taking vehicles and causing bridges to fall. The floods and landslides reported by the authorities amounted to 34 dead on Sunday while 14 people were also missing.

The government of the Kumamoto region, located on the island of Kyushu, in the south-west of the country, has confirmed 18 deaths, while 16 people are in "cardiopulmonary arrest", a term used in Japan for speak of a death not yet officially confirmed by a doctor.

Among those officially deceased were 14 residents of a nursing home flooded on Saturday when rivers emerged from their beds. About fifty other residents of this establishment were rescued.

As of Sunday morning, precipitation had reduced in intensity in Kumamoto, but many residents remained cut off from the world due to the extensive damage caused by these bad weather. Over 200,000 people were also ordered to evacuate.

"Saving lives is our priority"

"We will do everything we can to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and make life as comfortable as possible for those who have been forced to leave their homes," Ryota Takeda, Minister of Disaster Management, told reporters after s 'be returned to a gymnasium in the city of Hitoyoshi where 600 inhabitants are accommodated.

During a cabinet meeting in Tokyo on the disaster, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to provide financial support, while urging locals to prepare for the arrival of new precipitation. "Saving lives is our priority," he said.

People living along the Kuma River, which flows through Hitoyoshi, have been hit hard by the floods. A huge "SOS" sign was drawn on the grounds of a disused elementary school in the town of Yatsushiro, where a dozen people were making big signs towards the media and rescue helicopters, using white towels and umbrellas. Rescue teams and soldiers deployed helicopters and boats to reach them.

In 2018, floods in western Japan killed more than 200 people.

With AFP

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