Footage on public broadcaster NHK showed an entire street submerged in Wajima, one of the areas hardest hit by the huge New Year’s Day quake, which toppled buildings, ripped up roads and sparked a major fire.
As of Sunday morning, one person had been killed, three were missing and two were seriously injured in Ishikawa, the fire and disaster management agency said.
At least a dozen rivers burst their banks and two of the missing were reportedly carried away by strong currents.
Another three people were missing who had been working for the land ministry to restore a road in Wajima, local ministry official Yoshiyuki Tokuhashi told AFP.
One worker who had been reported missing “walked to the tunnel” near the landslide where 26 others were taking shelter, Tokuhashi said, adding that all 27 workers had now been evacuated to safety.
“Rescue work was planned to start at 5am this morning, then it was suspended due to heavy rain, but is scheduled to resume at around 11am,” he said.
Municipalities in Ishikawa told 75,000 residents in the region – including in the cities of Wajima and Suzu, as well as Noto town – to evacuate, officials said.
Another 16,800 residents in Niigata and Yamagata prefectures north of Ishikawa were also told to evacuate, the fire and disaster management agency said.
