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Tokyo – The provisional record of very violent rains that fell on Japan, the most serious for more than 30 years, rose Tuesday morning to 122 dead, announced a government agency.
Research is continuing in the stricken part of the west of the archipelago where there is still no news of dozens of people.
Unprecedented rainfall recorded between Friday and Sunday resulted in terrible floods, mudslides and other major damage that trapped many residents, even though non-binding orders and recommendations to evacuate had been issued to millions of people.
A clear sun has returned, but it complicates the relief operations, because of the very strong risks of sunstroke and heat stroke.
Monday, some 73,000 firefighters, police and soldiers, 20,000 more than the day before, were busy on the ground, the disaster spreading to several provinces on sometimes very rough terrain.
The landslides brought with them houses completely destroyed in the process, the mud covered entire neighborhoods, the fury of water streams came out of their beds and completely drowned whole neighborhoods of towns and villages, amounting until the middle of the first floor of the houses, before going back down having ransacked everything, found on the spot journalists of the AFP.
Rainfall records were recorded in 72 hours in 118 observation points distributed in about fifteen prefectures.
Almost 70% of Japan's territory is made up of mountains and hills. Many homes are built on steep slopes or flood plains, in short risk areas.
Not to mention that many Japanese houses are made of wood, including, but not limited to, traditional homes in rural areas.
Faced with the seriousness of the situation, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe " decided to cancel a tour planned from Wednesday in Belgium, France, Saudi Arabia and Egypt ", in order to give the priority " disaster relief and reconstruction ", the government spokesman said during a press conference.
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