Floods in the Noto Peninsula: seven dead and two missing

Scene of desolation in Wajima, September 23

The death toll from torrential rains in the northern Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture on the west-central coast rose to seven people on Tuesday, local authorities said. Six people died in Wajima Town and one in Suzu.

More than 400 people, including firefighters, police and members of the self-defense forces, are involved in the search operations.

Rain has been hitting the area since Saturday, with more than 540 millimeters of water recorded in Wajima in 72 hours, the heaviest continuous rainfall since comparative data became available. The town was in the midst of rebuilding after the deadly earthquake on May 1^er last January, and the floods destroyed many emergency housing units. 3,700 homes are without electricity.

The Ishikawa prefectural government said two people, one in Suzu and one in the city of Noto, were still missing. Local authorities were also unable to contact several others, including a 14-year-old middle school girl, after the Tsukada River flooded.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]