Record rainfall leaves four dead, thousands stranded in Japan

Record rainfall has killed at least four people and stranded thousands of travellers in Japan’s Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo.

Areas of Chiba recorded upwards of 360mm of rain in 24 hours into Friday, flooding roads and rail lines during the Bon Buddhist holiday week, one of Japan’s busiest travel periods.

Those killed included a man in his 60s or 70s found floating on a flooded road and a 66-year-old woman trapped in her submerged car, the Chiba Prefecture Disaster Management Office said.

The third death was a man of unknown age found collapsed on the street, and the fourth a person of undetermined gender and age. A fifth person was feared dead and a sixth unaccounted for.

Soldiers have been dispatched to the area to help with relief efforts, officials said.

“This case was an extremely unusual situation,” Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai told reporters on Friday morning. “I have responded to many disasters in the past, but I have never experienced a case like this.”

More than 22,000 households were without power by 11am (02:00 GMT) Friday, according to Tokyo Electric Power.

Some 80 homes experienced flooding and officials say more than 230,000 have been advised to take shelter.