China
21:40, 12-Jul-2017
Death toll rises to 27 following torrential rain in SW Japan
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The death toll has risen to 27 after torrential rain which lashed parts of southwest Japan caused flooding and landslides.
20 people remain unaccounted for in the affected areas of Fukuoka and Oita prefectures.
Two bodies were recovered on Wednesday in the city of Asakura in Fukuoka prefecture, one of the hardest-hit areas since the rain began a week ago.
Rescue workers restored access to two districts in the city of Hita, Oita prefecture on Wednesday where 110 people had been stranded.
A total of 1,300 people were sheltering outside their homes in the two prefectures, according to local authorities.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the disaster-stricken areas on Wednesday after cutting short his visit to Europe and returning to Japan a day earlier.
He told reporters that he wants to speed up the process of deciding whether to designate the calamity a "severe disaster" in which case government subsidies for reconstruction and restoration will be made available.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets with reporters in the city of Asakura on July 12, 2017, after inspecting areas damaged by torrential rain in southwestern Japan. /VCG Photo
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets with reporters in the city of Asakura on July 12, 2017, after inspecting areas damaged by torrential rain in southwestern Japan. /VCG Photo
The Japan Meteorological Agency has urged residents, especially those working outdoors on search and rescue missions and those in evacuation centers in disaster-stricken Kyushu main island, to take heatstroke prevention measures, as large areas of Japan are expected to experience hot weather.
(Source: Xinhua)
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