Landslides, floods threaten Japan: 200,000 people urged to evacuate

Last Updated on November 4, 2024 5:53 am

Authorities have ordered 200,000 people to evacuate western Japan due to landslides and floods. They have been told to leave by Saturday (November 2).

The Japan Meteorological Agency said warm, humid winds were bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms to western Japan.

Matsuyama city has issued a top-level warning, urging 189,552 residents in 10 districts to evacuate and seek immediate safety, a city official told AFP.

While evacuations were not mandatory, Japan’s highest-level warning is issued when there is a high risk of a disaster.

Forecasters warned that landslides and flooding could hit western Japan on Saturday and eastern Japan on Sunday.

Shinkansen bullet trains between Tokyo and the southern Fukuoka region were suspended in the morning because of the rain and later resumed on a delayed schedule.

Kong-re slammed into Taiwan on Thursday in one of the biggest storms to hit the island in decades, killing at least two people and leaving thousands of households without power.