Fatalities due to record Chiba rainfall rise to 10 with one person still missing

CHIBA – The death toll from record rainfall in Chiba Prefecture last week has risen to 10, including cases under investigation for links with the disaster, while one person remains missing, the prefectural government said Sunday.

The 10th victim was a man in his 30s who died from carbon monoxide poisoning after using an electric generator due to a power outage at his home in the city of Chiba.

According to the prefecture, about 1,500 houses were flooded.

More than 1,200 flooded vehicles were abandoned on roads after the downpour, and over 100 vehicles remain to be removed. In the city of Ichihara, a three-vehicle accident occurred when a car crashed into an abandoned vehicle.

Local authorities are rushing to remove abandoned vehicles, which could block emergency vehicles. The Chiba municipal government has requested assistance from the transport ministry.

According to the ministry, national roads were cleared of abandoned vehicles on Sunday.