"Unprecedented" Heavy Rain Kills 4 In Japan, Thousands Stranded At Airport

Heavy rains have caused unprecedented flooding and landslides in eastern Japan, resulting in at least four deaths and thousands of people stranded. Chiba prefecture, located east of Tokyo, experienced torrential rain on Thursday night, with 115mm of rain falling in an hour - an amount typically recorded for the entire month of August. This led to evacuation orders for over 400,000 people and power outages affecting about 45,000 homes.

The body of a man, believed to be in his 60s or 70s, was found floating in a flooded road in Ichikawa. Meanwhile, a 66-year-old woman died when her car became trapped in floodwaters in Sakura. Two additional fatalities are reported to have occurred as individuals were unable to escape their vehicles during the flooding.

Soldiers have been deployed to assist with relief efforts. Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai described the situation as "an extremely unusual circumstance," stating that he has never encountered such a disaster during his tenure. Approximately 7,000 passengers spent the night at Narita Airport, Tokyo's primary international gateway, while 1,700 individuals sought refuge at the Chiba Prefectural Government Building.

Footage from public broadcaster NHK revealed water forcefully spouting from a maintenance hole, surpassing the height of a nearby five-story building in Chiba's central ward. A resident in Ichikawa expressed surprise at the sudden onset of the heavy rain, noting that power outages have left her uncertain about resuming her business in the coming days.

A UK traveler, identified as Philip, recounted a nine-hour journey, including a taxi ride, to finally reach Narita Airport early on Friday morning. He humorously remarked that he has merely been attempting to catch some sleep and watch Netflix during his ordeal.

While rain levels have decreased by Friday, authorities caution residents about the dangers of flooding in the region. Kazuhito Shimamoto of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism urged the public to take protective measures, particularly for rivers with already elevated flood risks. He emphasized the importance of following evacuation advisories issued by local municipalities and evacuating promptly if necessary.

Climate experts in Japan attribute the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events to climate breakdown.