Floods leave Japanese city underwater as rescue teams pluck stranded residents from their rooftops
Tens of thousands of people were ordered to flee homes across Japan on Thursday as heavy rain pounded the country, sending radiation-tainted waters into the ocean at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
Helicopters plucked dozens of residents from the tops of their homes in Japan on Thursday, but rescue officials said they were unable to keep up with all the pleas for help after raging floodwaters swamped parts of a city north of Tokyo.
As heavy rain pummelled Japan for a second straight day, the Kinugawa River broke through a flood berm, sending a wall of water into Joso, about 50km northeast of Japan’s capital.
National broadcaster NHK showed aerial footage of rescuers lowered from helicopters and clambering onto second-floor balconies to reach stranded residents. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
In one dramatic scene, the rescuer could be seen descending four times from a military helicopter over a 20-minute period to lift up four people one-by-one, as a deluge of water swept around their home.
Nearby a man clung to a utility pole as the waters rose, before being taken up by a rescuer who had to be first lowered into the water so he could make his way over to the man.
Others waved cloths from their decks or roofs to get attention as torrents of water washed away cars and knocked buildings off their foundations. Photos from Japan’s Kyodo news service showed people waiting for help on top of cars and a 7-11 delivery truck, surrounded by water that nearly submerged the cars.