CNN reports two dead and more than twenty still missing after a mudslide crushed numerous homes in the Japanese city of Atami, roughly seventy kilometers south of Tokyo. Horrific social media footage shows a mountainside giving way due to erosion from the country’s rainy season, sending a black wave tearing through nearby buildings.
Japanese officials have confirmed that there were 300 families affected, with two individuals confirmed dead and nearly three thousand citizens without power or other utilities. Police, firefighters, and Japanese military and coast guard forces have already begun disaster relief efforts.
Evacuation orders have been issued for the areas surrounding Tokyo. Government officials have issued detailed explanations of what measures citizens can take to avoid falling victim to another mudslide.
A government task force has been set up to monitor meteorological conditions and attempt to deliver early warnings about further disasters.
The government of Taiwan has issued a statement expressing its solidarity with Japan and offering assistance with relief efforts.