Torrential Rains Leave 5 Dead, 7,000 Stranded at Airport

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Heavy rain pounded Chiba Prefecture in Japan from yesterday evening until early this morning, leaving five people dead and causing widespread blackouts. A series of damages followed, including about 7,000 people spending the night at Narita International Airport.

From Tokyo, Correspondent Mun Junmo has more.

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Rainwater surges down roads like a river.

People try to push a waterlogged car from behind, but it refuses to budge.

[It is impossible. Impossible.]

Water pours into a stalled bus.

Geysers erupt from manholes, and water cascades like a waterfall into a subway station.

[Office Worker: I cannot risk driving back, so I am going to wait it out at the office.]

Record-breaking torrential rains pounded Chiba Prefecture yesterday evening, prompting the issuance of the highest-level heavy rain special warnings for more than 20 local municipalities within the prefecture.

Chiba City recorded 348 mm of rainfall over a 12-hour period until early this morning, reaching three times the historical average precipitation for August.

Regions with hourly precipitation exceeding 100 mm also emerged in succession.

At one point, over 40,000 households suffered blackouts, and homes were flooded one after another.

Casualties also occurred.

In Kashiwa, among two people trapped inside a vehicle by rapidly rising waters, one woman died. In Ichikawa, a man in his 60s was found unconscious on a flooded road and transferred to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, bringing the total death toll to five.

As train and bus services faced disruptions, about 7,000 people had to spend the night at Narita International Airport.

At the Chiba Prefectural Government office, 1,800 citizens stranded during their evening commute also spent the night.

The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that fierce downpours could continue in some areas into the afternoon, urging vigilance against potential landslides, river flooding, and inundation in low-lying areas.

(Video Journalist: Moon Hyun-jin, Video Editor: Kim Byung-jik, Design: Park Hye-jin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.