Several People In Japan Are Missing After A Mudslide Buries Their Homes

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Buildings are damaged by a mudslide in the city of Atami, west of Tokyo, on Saturday following heavy rains in the area.

Kyodo News via AP

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Kyodo News via AP

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Public broadcaster NHK earlier gave the number of missing people at 20, but Shizuoka prefecture spokesman Takamichi Sugiyama said the prefecture confirmed at least 19, although he said the number may grow.

Torrential rains have slammed parts of Japan starting earlier this week. Experts said dirt had been loosened, increasing landslide risks in a country filled with valleys and mountains.

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A man observes damaged houses outside a building hit by a mudslide in Atami on Saturday.

Kyodo News via AP

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Kyodo News via AP

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«I offer my deepest condolences to everyone who has suffered, he said, adding that utmost efforts will be made to rescue lives.

Kawakatsu and other officials said it had been raining hard in the area all morning. Self-defense forces have joined firefighters and police in the rescue operation, and officials from the national government have also arrived, they said.

Evacuation orders affect more than 35,000 people

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called an emergency meeting for his Cabinet, and instructed the task force to push ahead with rescue operations while guarding against more such disasters.

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Evacuation warnings were issued for a wide area, including the so-called «Level 5, which is the highest possible alert, affecting more than 35,000 people.

Atami is a quaint seaside resort area in Shizuoka prefecture, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tokyo. The area that was hit by the mudslide, Izusan, includes hot springs, residential areas, shopping streets and a famous shrine.