Landslides Leave Six Dead in the Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan

Heavy rainfall on Monday in the Kumamoto Prefecture of Japan has caused several mudslides that have left six dead. Most of the deaths are attributed to homes being destroyed by the landslides; the rest of the deaths are likely to have been caused by drowning. The village of Minamiaso has issued an evacuation order to citizens in at risk areas and the town of Mashiki has issued an evacuation advisory to all 34,000 residents.

Thirty municipalities in total received mudslide warnings from the Kumamoto government. Recent earthquakes in the area as recently as April have caused the ground in many areas to become unstable. The rainfall experienced earlier this week was the highest that the region has received in several years, surpassing 120 mm per hour in some areas and up to 150 in others. In addition to the mudslides, there is a high risk of flooding as rainfall continues this week.

Original article