Japan floods kill at least 7 on earthquake-battered peninsula

Ishikawa is still reeling from a magnitude-7.5 quake earlier this year, which toppled buildings, triggered tsunamis and sparked a major fire

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Firefighters in Wajima city search for missing people on Sunday night after torrential rain and heavy floods. Photo: Jiji Press/EPA-EFE

Published: 9:21am, 23 Sep 2024Updated: 5:58pm, 24 Sep 2024

Rescuers combed the debris-strewn banks of a river in central Japan on Monday, searching for victims after homes were swept away in flooding and landslides that claimed at least six lives.

The river on the Noto Peninsula – an area still reeling from a devastating earthquake in January – overflowed at the weekend, becoming a muddy torrent that inundated roads and a remote hamlet.

After the skies finally cleared, police and firefighters from across Japan were joined by residents and the father of a 14-year-old girl who is one of seven missing people.

The number of deaths reached seven, with one severely injured and 11 mildly injured as of Monday afternoon, Ishikawa prefecture said on their website.

Rain pounded the region from Saturday, with more than 540 millimetres (21 inches) recorded in the city of Wajima over 72 hours – the heaviest continuous rain since comparative data became available.

A flooded residential area is seen in Wajima city, Ishikawa prefecture, on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters

The flooding disaster hit the area as it was making a fragile recovery from said, which toppled buildings, triggered tsunami waves and sparked a major fire.