Death Toll From Rain Rises to 81 In Western Japan
The death toll from torrential rain and landslides in western Japan rose to 81 people yesterday, with dozens still missing after more than 2,000, temporarily stranded in the city of Kurashiki, were rescued.
Evacuation orders were in place for nearly two million people and landslide warnings were issued in many prefectures.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday expressed his condolences and offered help to Japan in relief efforts.
“Our thoughts are with you and the people of Japan during this difficult period,” PM Lee wrote in a letter to his counterpart, Mr Shinzo Abe. “I am confident that Japan will overcome this disaster with fortitude.”
He added: “Please do not hesitate to let us know if Singapore can be of assistance to the ongoing relief efforts.”
In hard-hit western Japan, emergency services and military personnel used helicopters and boats to rescue people from swollen rivers and buildings, including a hospital.
Scores of staff and patients, some still in their pyjamas, were rescued from the isolated Mabi Memorial Hospital in boats rowed by members of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces.
A city official said 170 patients and staff had been evacuated, while public broadcaster NHK later said about 80 people were still stranded.
Kurashiki, with a population of just under 500,000, was among the hardest hit by rain that pounded many parts of western Japan, with the death toll exceeding the 77 killed in heavy rain and landslides in 2014 and the highest since a typhoon that killed 98 people in 2004.
courtesy : straitstimes.com
photo : Prothom Alo
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