Death toll from torrential rains in Japan’s Chiba rises to 10

The death toll from powerful downpours that hit Japan’s Chiba Prefecture has risen to 10, the local administration said.

The list of victims includes a young man who died at home from exhaust fume poisoning. A power outage caused by the disaster forced him to spend the night near a running generator to keep the air conditioner operating amid extreme heat, TASS reports.

According to local authorities, a significant number of the victims drowned inside their own vehicles after they became trapped and were flooded during the heavy rain. More than 1,200 stalled and abandoned vehicles remain on roads across Chiba Prefecture. Located northeast of Tokyo, Chiba is part of the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area.

Heavy rain hit the region on August 13 and 14, with some areas receiving up to 350 millimeters of rainfall, three times the monthly average. More than 1,100 homes were affected by flooding. At the height of the disaster, more than 7,000 residents left their homes and sought shelter at emergency evacuation centers set up in gymnasiums and public facilities.

By Jeyhun Aghazada