one dead and three missing in Japan, the Southwest of the country hit by “the heaviest rains ever recorded” according to the national weather agency

A woman has died and three people are missing after landslides in rain-hit southwestern Japan “the heaviest rains ever recorded”announced Monday, July 10, the authorities and the national weather agency.

The 77-year-old woman lost her life in a landslide that hit her home overnight in rural Fukuoka, local firefighters told AFP. Her husband was found conscious and hospitalized.

Climate change in question

Three people are also missing after a landslide hit the town of Karatsu in Saga prefecture, neighboring Fukuoka, local authorities said. Japan’s meteorological agency has urged people to take shelter as heavy rainfall is likely to cause flooding and landslides in Fukuoka and Oita areas. “A special heavy rain alert has been issued for municipalities in Fukuoka Prefecture. This is the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the region,” Satoshi Sugimoto of the forecast division of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) told reporters. “It is very likely that a disaster has already occurred. The situation is such that lives are at risk and safety must be ensured,” he added.

Evacuation orders have been issued in parts of Fukuoka, Oita and neighboring prefectures, which have opened shelters to accommodate people leaving their homes.

Japan is usually affected by the rainy season between June and July, a period marked by heavy rainfall and which sometimes results in floods and deadly landslides. Scientists believe that climate change is intensifying the risk of heavy rains in Japan and elsewhere, as a warmer atmosphere holds more water.

In 2021, 27 people were killed in a devastating landslide, following heavy rains, in the central seaside resort of Atami.