At Least 36 Killed In Hiroshima Landslide
A massive landslide caused by heavy rains struck Japan's western city of Hiroshima on Wednesday, killing at least 36, local police report.
The death toll is expected to rise as authorities continue to dig through the mud and debris that has now clogged steep slopes that once held homes. Out of the 36 killed, many of the victims were women and children, local authorities say.
"There was rain and thunder all night, beating down so hard I was scared to go outside," one Hiroshima resident told the local Fuji TV. "Great big drops. I've never seen anything like this."
Along with the 36 dead, authorities say another nine are still missing. A local government official told the Associated Press that it was "hard to know exactly how many are unaccounted for."
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe added that he has asked local rescue authorities to "raise the number of [military] personnel to several hundred in order to strengthen rescue operations."
"I've ordered the whole government to engage in rescue activities and deal with the situation in an integrated manner," Abe added to reporters outside of his office in Tokyo.
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui quoted the natural disaster as being "regrettable," adding that "We'll find out what went wrong and take the necessary measures."
According to ABC News, landslides are particularly hazardous in the steep, mountainous villages that dot Japan. Overcrowded housing situations on the hillsides combined with occasional torrential rain can cause such fatal natural disasters as the one that occurred Wednesday in Hiroshima.
