TOKYO (AFP) – A man was found dead in a flooded car as torrential rains lashed northern Japan yesterday, a week after seven people were killed in similar weather in the country’s southwest.
A police spokesman told AFP they had “confirmed the death” of a man who was inside a car found submerged in a rice paddy in northern Akita prefecture, without giving further details.
The body was discovered yesterdaymorning by rescuers who had launched a search after the man made an emergency call on Saturday evening saying his car was stuck in water, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.
Since last weekend, a heavy band of precipitation has dumped record-breaking amounts of rain in some parts of Japan, causing rivers to overflow and sodden earth to collapse in landslides.
The southwestern Kyushu area has seen seven people killed and transport services disrupted, as well as a temporary power blackout.
The rain front has gradually moved from the country’s southwest to the north.
Japan is currently experiencing its annual rainy season, which often brings heavy downpours, and sometimes results in flooding and landslides, as well as casualties.
But scientists say climate change is intensifying the risk of heavy rains in Japan and elsewhere because a warmer atmosphere holds more water.
