Atami: Trawled Rescue Team on Monday through muddy debris in the Japanese holiday city hit by a landslide looking for victims, because the worries grew that dozens of people might disappear.
Army and emergency workers use handheld poles and mechanical excavations in despair searches, two days after the bursts of the earth slammed and through part of the Atami Hot-Spring Resort in Central Japan.
Three people have been confirmed to die, even though the authorities struggled to show the existence of dozens of residents as they explored the rubble of 130 houses of hillside and other destroyed buildings.
The vehicle was buried and the building led to the foundation in the disaster, with air conditioning units were seen hanging from one house that was destroyed towards the porridge below.
“We have confirmed that 102 people are safe and we still check the security of 113 others, of 215 residents who are believed to be around the hit area of landslides,” said Yuki Sugiyama city officials told AFP.
Authorities initially said only 20 people were missing, but Atami Mayor Sakae Saito said Sunday night which was only an estimate based on the initial assessment.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga confirmed on Monday authorized has not yet determined how many people are not counted, while the focus is still in finding the victim.
“The National Government, along with the city government, will verify (how many) missing,” said Suga.
“(Rescue workers) do our best to save as many people as possible, as soon as possible”, he added.
Landslides occurred during the Japanese annual rainy season and followed intense rainy days inside and around Atami.
Rescuers on Monday took advantage of the break in the rain to continue their search, navigate the stream of cloudy water and wooden blocks and other debris out of the road.
Non-required evacuation orders have been issued for more than 35,700 people throughout Japan, mostly in the Shizuoka region including Atami, which is about 90 kilometers (55 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
The weather agent estimates heavy rain in a wider area, a warning that more landslides can occur.
Atami reportedly recorded more rainfall in 48 hours rather than usual for the entire July, and survivors told local media they had never experienced strong rain in their lives.
Scientists say climate change intensifies the Japanese rainy season because the warm atmosphere has more water.
The victim at the nearest evacuation center told AFP on Sundays of their panic when landslides began.
“When I opened the door, everyone rushed to the road and a policeman came to me and said: ‘What are you doing here, you have to hurry, everyone evacuated!” Local Residence Kazuyo Yamada told AFP.
“So I go with rain in a hurry, without changing, just with a bag.”
Fear grows for dozens in the city of Japan that hit landslides
