We are live from the site of a landslide caused by heavy rain in Aira City, Kagoshima Prefecture.
This is the Kamocho district of Aira City, Kagoshima Prefecture. The mountain behind me collapsed, sending mud and debris directly into one house and two warehouses. A woman in her 60s and her younger daughter in her 30s were rescued, but they mentioned that the eldest daughter might still be inside the house. Currently, authorities have been unable to contact the eldest daughter in her 30s, and police and firefighters are continuing their search under the assumption she may be trapped. The father in his 60s was away at the time and is safe.
Search operations lasted about 12 hours today but were suspended at sunset, with rescue teams withdrawing. The search is expected to resume tomorrow.
The missing eldest daughter worked at a nearby newspaper distribution office. The manager stated, “She was supposed to arrive at work by 4:30 today but never showed up. I thought something might have happened. I hope she is found soon.”
Rain continues to fall intermittently in the area. The special heavy rain warning was downgraded to a regular warning at 1:30 p.m., but Kagoshima is expected to experience intermittent rain in the coming hours. There are concerns that the damage could worsen.
