Japan Floods Turn Deadly as Torrential Rain Leaves Six Dead

(Travellers Stranded. Photo Credit; Citizen TV Kenya)

Eastern Japan experienced devastating consequences following "unprecedented" torrential rainfall that claimed at least four lives, with the toll later revised to six, authorities reported Friday.

The heavy downpours that began late Thursday triggered landslide alerts and widespread power disruptions, prompting weather forecasters to issue the highest-level heavy rain warning for the Chiba region for the first time in recorded history.

Fatalities included a man aged in his 60s or 70s discovered in a flooded roadway, a 66-year-old woman trapped in her submerged vehicle, a man of unknown age found collapsed on a street, and a person of indeterminate gender and age.

Later reports indicated an additional two deaths, bringing the total to six.

Approximately 26,000 households across Chiba Prefecture lost electrical power.

Forty-five residences experienced complete flooding in cities including Ichikawa, Kashiwa and Sakura, while another 39 homes sustained water intrusion below their floorboards.

The downpours left approximately 6,000 passengers overnight at Narita, one of two major airports serving Tokyo, after train cancellations stranded travellers.

Within the terminal, sleeping bags accumulated as passengers rested across various floors, while substantial queues formed at check-in counters.

A British traveller reported requiring a nine-hour journey including a taxi ride before reaching the airport Friday morning, after which he used a supplied sleeping bag and streamed entertainment.

Airport personnel distributed complimentary water, food and sleeping bags to stranded passengers.

Hundreds of additional travellers remained stranded at Chiba station due to suspended train operations.

Overnight shelters accommodated hundreds of residents, with visual documentation showing vehicles submerged with water reaching their headlights in Kashiwa.

A resident expressed concern regarding power outages and their impact on business resumption within the following days.

A meteorological agency official characterised the rainfall as "shaping up to be an unprecedented level," with peak warnings downgraded from level-5 to level-4 by Friday morning.

Climate scientists attribute the escalating frequency, duration and intensity of extreme weather events to human-driven climate change.