36 dead, seven missing as landslide slams Hiroshima

At least 36 people, including several children, were killed in Japan yesterday, when landslides triggered by torrential rain slammed into the outskirts of the western city of Hiroshima, and the toll could rise further, police said.

Seven people were missing after a month’s worth of rain fell overnight, loosening slopes already saturated by heavy rain over the past few weeks.

“There was rain and thunder all night, beating down so hard I was scared to go outside,” a resident told Fuji TV. “Great big drops. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Helicopters clattered overhead, lifting out survivors, as rescue workers searched through mud and piles of stones in residential areas about 5 km (3 miles) from the city centre.

A child’s red school bag, covered in mud, lay in the debris. Houses had been pushed 100 metres by the landslide in the worst-hit area, where thick, knee-high mud hampered rescue efforts.

Hiroshima city authorities issued an evacuation advisory notice about an hour after the first landslide yesterday.

“Something went wrong in our analysis (of the situation) ... We failed to issue an evacuation advisory ahead of the disaster. Looking back, I believe this is something we need to amend,” an official at the city’s fire department said.

Cities in land-scarce Japan often expand into mountainous areas, leaving such development vulnerable to landslides.

Landslides killed 31 people in Hiroshima in 1999, including six in the same area hit this time.