Mudslides upend lives in communities

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:50 JST, July 4, 2021

ATAMI, Shizuoka — A series of disasters ravaged several areas in Shizuoka and Kanagawa prefectures due to record-level rain falling since Friday.

Rescue work was proceeding slowly in the Izusan district in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, where many people were still missing after a massive mudslide wreaked havoc on Saturday.

“I can’t stop trembling,” said a resident who had escaped from the violent mudflow.

A tremendous landslide dozens of meters wide swallowed up a swathe of the district. Houses were swept away or obliterated in a thunderous roar. A nearby national highway was blocked in some places, and a bus pushed by the powerful flow was stuck against a building.

An aerial view from helicopter showed the entire coastline muddied brown with soil and sand that flowed to the sea with great force in the landslide.