Adedokun Waliyu 
At least five people have died in eastern Japan after torrential rain triggered flooding, landslide warnings and power outages, leaving thousands stranded at Narita International Airport and disrupting road and rail services.
The heavy rainfall on Thursday prompted Japan’s highest-level heavy rain warning for Chiba Prefecture for the first time. Authorities described the downpour as unprecedented.
Around 6,000 people were stranded overnight at Narita Airport, where passengers slept on terminal floors as flights, trains and other transport services were disrupted. Airport staff reportedly provided stranded travellers with food, water and sleeping bags.
In parts of Chiba, more than a dozen vehicles were abandoned on flooded roads, while hundreds of people were stranded at Chiba Station after train services were suspended.
Officials confirmed five deaths at a disaster management meeting on Friday. Those killed reportedly included a man in his 60s or 70s who was found floating in a flooded road and a 66-year-old woman trapped inside a submerged vehicle. Other victims included a man found collapsed on a street and another person whose identity and age had not been determined.
Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported that the death toll could be as high as eight.
The flooding also affected homes and businesses across the prefecture. Nearly 26,000 households were without electricity, while more than 80 houses were flooded in cities including Ichikawa, Kashiwa and Sakura. Nearly 90 other homes had water seeping in beneath their floorboards.
A Japan Meteorological Agency official said the rainfall was developing into an “unprecedented level” of heavy rain.
The highest-level warnings were downgraded to level four by Friday morning, although authorities continued to warn residents about flooding and landslides.
Scientists have warned that human-driven climate change is contributing to more frequent, prolonged and intense extreme weather events.
