WORLD> Asia-Pacific
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WORLD> Asia-Pacific
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Heavy rains hit central Japan, 1 dead, 3 missing
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-30 09:51 TOKYO -- Fierce rains lashed central Japan leaving one woman dead and three people missing after vast stretches of rural and residential areas were inundated.
Nearly 1.3 million people in Aichi in central Japan were ordered to evacuate, Kyodo News agency said. Authorities later lifted the evacuation order. "While the evacuation order was lifted, we urged residents to be cautious as we expect heavy rains tonight," said Naoyuki Kato, a police official in the hardest-hit city of Okazaki, 140 miles (230 kilometers) southwest of Tokyo. Earlier, authorities dispatched about 100 soldiers to Okazaki to rescue the stranded from flooded homes. Hundreds of households were flooded, and some areas were left without power or telephone service hours after the storms. Several rivers overflowed, forcing drivers to abandon their cars in the streets. The rains were unusually intense. At the storm's peak, Okazaki was soaked with 5.7 inches (14.6 centimeters) of rain per hour, according to Japan's Meteorological Agency, a record for the area. A 76-year-old woman was found drowned in her home in Okazaki and a man was in serious condition, local police official Kazumi Yamagawa said. Three others were missing in Okazaki, according to Kyodo. Japan is often hit in summer by heavy rains, which can trigger flash flooding. Earlier this month, five workers were killed in Tokyo after being sucked down a manhole when sewage waters suddenly rose after a thunderstorm. |
