THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
July 3, 2023 at 18:56 JST
Heavy rain inundated areas in Kumamoto Prefecture on July 3, flooding rivers and washing away a bridge and submerging at least one house.
Seven municipalities in the prefecture came under a landslide warning on the morning of July 3. No injuries have been reported, according to prefectural officials.
In the city of Kumamoto, 368,000 residents were ordered to evacuate on the morning of July 3, after water levels rose in the Shirakawa river, which runs through the area.
Evacuation orders were also issued in Mashiki, Mifune, Yamato and Minamioguni in the prefecture as well as areas in the neighboring prefectures of Fukuoka, Saga, Oita and Miyazaki.
In the 12 hours through 10:40 a.m. on July 3, rainfall totaled a record 285 millimeters in Yamato, 281.5 mm in Minamiaso, Kumamoto Prefecture, 230.5 mm in Takachiho, Miyazaki Prefecture, and 193 mm in Mashiki, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The seasonal rain front is expected to remain over the southern part of the main island of Kyushu until July 4.
More heavy rain is expected in areas in the northern part of the island before midnight on July 3 and in the southern part of the island before noon on July 4.
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The Kiyamagawa river floods in Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture, on July 3. (Soichiro Yamamoto)
