Rescue crews are battling treacherous conditions along the debris-clogged banks of a river in central Japan, desperately searching for missing individuals after torrential rains unleashed floods and landslides, claiming at least six lives. Entire homes were carried away by the floods in the Noto Peninsula, an area still struggling to recover from a severe earthquake that shook the region just months earlier.
The relentless rainfall over the weekend transformed the Tsukada River into a surging force of destruction, flooding roads and washing away a remote hamlet. Once the rain subsided and skies cleared, hundreds of rescuers, including police, firefighters, and volunteers from neighboring regions, set out to search through the rubble. Local residents, many of whom have lost everything, are now assisting in the search. Among the missing is a 14-year-old girl whose father has joined rescue teams, hoping for a miracle.
Japanese media outlets, including NHK, have reported six confirmed deaths. Search efforts are ongoing, as rescuers hope to find the remaining seven individuals still unaccounted for.
The region has endured over 540 millimeters (21 inches) of rain in just 72 hours, marking the heaviest continuous rainfall recorded in the area since such records began. The city of Wajima was hit particularly hard, with floodwaters overwhelming homes, roads, and critical infrastructure.
This catastrophic flooding follows a massive earthquake that rocked the peninsula on New Year’s Day, a 7.5 magnitude quake that caused widespread destruction, triggered tsunami waves, and sparked a major fire. The quake killed at least 374 people and left many residents displaced. Some of those victims, still without permanent homes, were taking shelter in temporary housing units that have now been flooded by this latest disaster.
Electricity outages continue to plague the region. As of Monday, more than 3,700 households remain without power, as reported by the Hokuriku Electric Power Company. Efforts to restore electricity are being hindered by ongoing landslides that have blocked over 100 roads, further isolating many of the hardest-hit areas.
In addition to the search for survivors, authorities are also dealing with the threat of further landslides, as the saturated ground remains unstable. Residents have been advised to stay alert and prepare for possible evacuations, as the risk of additional rainfall looms.
The Noto Peninsula’s disaster response teams have been stretched thin as they continue to deal with the aftereffects of the January earthquake, and this latest catastrophe is expected to severely impact the region’s recovery efforts. Local officials are now calling for increased national support to address the mounting challenges brought on by the dual natural disasters.
Emergency services are bracing for further difficulties as the rainy season approaches, and Japan’s Meteorological Agency has warned of additional severe weather events in the near future, complicating rescue efforts and increasing the risks faced by those still in the area.