Two feared dead, twenty missing after deadly Japanese landslide

Rain hampered Japanese rescuers seeking 20 missing people on Sunday after landslides triggered by torrential rains hit the central city of Atami, killing at least two, Kyodo news agency said.   

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said about 19 people were rescued and about 130 buildings were affected after floods, landslides and cascading mud collapsed and half-submerged houses on Saturday in the seaside city 90 km (60 miles) southwest of Tokyo, according to Kyodo.   

The Prime Minister, who convened an emergency task force to tackle the crisis, asked people in the affected areas to remain on alert.   

“There may be more heavy rainfalls and we need to be taking the highest caution,” Suga said in televised remarks.   

The floods are a reminder of the natural disasters - including earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunami - that plague Japan, where the capital Tokyo is to host the summer Olympics starting this month.   

Two people were found in a state of cardiac arrest in Atami, 90 km (60 miles) southwest of Tokyo, and taken to hospital, NHK said.   

It aired footage of collapsed and half-submerged houses as water dashed the city with mud and debris. Social media images showed partially submerged cars and rescue workers wading through waist-high water with a small life raft.   

Japan’s military sent emergency rescuers to the city, where about 80 people are evacuated, NHK said. 

 
Some 2,830 households in the area face power outages, it said, citing the Tokyo Electric Power.
-TOKYO, July 4 (Reuters)