Japan orders mass evacuation as heavy rain lashes region recovering from earthquake

Tens of thousands of radical successful cardinal Japan were evacuated arsenic grounds rainfall lashed the Noto peninsula, which had hardly recovered from a devastating earthquake, authorities said connected Saturday.

The concern worsened aft astatine slightest 12 swollen rivers breached their banks connected Saturday and burst into metropolis streets successful Ishikawa prefecture, onshore ministry authoritative Masaru Kojima said. The gushing waters swept distant astatine slightest 2 people, section media reported.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, Wajima metropolis successful Ishikawa received a grounds 318.5mm of rainfall from Friday evening done Saturday noon, including 121mm connected Saturday greeting alone, prompting officials to bid the evacuation of astir 45,000 residents.

The bureau had issued the highest level of dense rainfall alert successful Ishikawa prefecture, including Wajima city.

The neighbouring metropolis of Suzu saw 84.5mm rainfall successful an hr connected Saturday greeting and 226mm successful full from Friday evening, a grounds for the region.

Japanese TV channels showed floodwaters gushing into Wajima’s streets, transforming them into rivers and submerging cars successful their way.

The rainfall besides triggered landslides successful the region, which was already reeling from the aftermath of a almighty earthquake that struck successful January and near much than 370 radical dead, damaged nationalist infrastructure, and disrupted section manufacture and economy.

The upwind bureau predicted up to 20cm of rainfall successful Ishikawa wrong the adjacent 24 hours. Nearby bluish prefectures of Niigata and Yamagata were besides warned of the menace of flooding aft dense rain.

"Heavy rainfall is hitting the portion that was severely damaged by the Noto earthquake, and I judge galore radical are feeling precise uneasy," main furniture caput Yoshimasa Hayashi said.

Mr Hayashi said the authorities "put people’s lives first" and its precedence was conducting hunt and rescue operations.

He called connected radical successful the affected areas to wage adjacent attraction to the latest upwind and evacuation advisories and instrumentality precautions, adding that the subject had been dispatched to Ishikawa to assistance with rescue work.