On December 31, at the site of Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, where a hill behind a house collapsed and about 10 buildings collapsed, the search continues, mainly near the house where an elderly couple whose safety is unknown lived. but still haven't found it.

The police and fire department will continue to search through the night on January 1st.

In the early hours of December 31, in Nishime, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, a mountain behind houses and vacant houses collapsed from 20 to 30 meters high and 100 meters wide, and about 10 buildings were involved and collapsed.



Due to this landslide, the safety of two men, a man in his 80s and his wife in her 70s, is unknown.



At the site, heavy rain and hail fell intermittently, and heavy equipment was used to remove the earth and sand, and shovels were used to dig up the soil. has not been found either.



According to the Yamagata Local Meteorological Observatory, the Shonai region, which includes Tsuruoka City, is expected to have blizzards over the next two days, with 30 centimeters of snow expected to fall on the flatlands in one day.



The police and fire department will continue to search through the night on January 1st.

Report on the status of the search and future policies to the Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters

At the Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters meeting held at Tsuruoka City Hall from 5:00 pm, there was a report on the status of search activities and future activity policies.



Among them, firefighters reported that the removal of debris near the couple's residence, whose safety was not known, had almost been completed, and that they were planning to remove the sediment that had flowed in using shovels and manual labor in the future.



In addition, during the search activities on January 1, letters, letter cases, and documents with names were found near the couple's residence.



Firefighters and others will continue to search through the night while lighting on the night of the 1st.



A city official said, ``We are focusing on places where we think there is a couple who have not been found.

Former self-government chairman "I want you to find two people quickly"

A resident man who said he had been friends with an elderly couple whose safety was unknown after a landslide in Tsuruoka City for many years said, "The woman was bright and sociable, and I often talked with her husband. I found them quickly. I want you," he said.



Mr. Mitsuhiro Hirata, the former head of the residents' community of the disaster-stricken area, had been friends with an elderly couple (75) whose safety was unknown for about 20 years.



Mr. Hirata commented on their personalities, "The woman was a cheerful and sociable person, sharing vegetables and other things. The woman's husband was a taciturn man who didn't talk much, but as they got to know each other, he opened up. I came to talk to him well,” he said.



About three years ago, when Mr. Hirata was clearing snow, a woman gave him gray gloves. rice field.



On the other hand, regarding the fact that the safety of the two people is still unknown, he said, "I want them to be alive. I want them to be found as soon as possible. It may be difficult in a windy place, but the police are searching in the cold. I am grateful to the fire department and the Self-Defense Forces," he said.

Tsuruoka City Delivering Sushi to Evacuees “A Little Bit of New Year’s Feeling”

Tsuruoka City prepared sushi for dinner and delivered it to the residents who had evacuated to the hotel so that they could feel the New Year's mood even a little.



In the landslide disaster that occurred in Nishime, Tsuruoka City, evacuation orders were issued to 22 people from 8 households in the area. Except for 2 people whose safety was not known, 20 people were evacuated to relatives' homes or hotels prepared by the city. And so on for the New Year.



Tsuruoka City provides meals to residents who have evacuated to hotels, but on New Year's Day, January 1, they ask local supermarkets to make sushi for dinner so that they can feel the New Year's mood even a little. I have prepared



After 4:00 p.m., city officials visited the supermarket, picked up the sushi packs, and delivered them to the hotel where they had evacuated.



Satoshi Abe, the manager of the supermarket, said, "I'm worried about the damage, but I want you to eat sushi and feel the New Year's mood even a little."