Japan admits lives could have been saved
Print Edition
Rescue workers were combing through piles of debris from mudslides that buried people and destroyed dozens of homes on a Japanese island, as officials acknowledged yesterday that an evacuation could have saved lives.
At least 18 deaths were confirmed from Typhoon Wipha and 45 people are missing, the government said.
Hardest hit from the storm, which swept up Japan’s eastern coast on Wednesday, was Izu Oshima island, about 120 kilometers south of Tokyo. Some 1,100 rescuers were searching through mountains of trees, wrecked homes and other debris, shouting in hopes of finding survivors. Residents and shop owners cleaned out the mud from their buildings.
“There is concern that perhaps more lives could have been saved if there had been an evacuation. We have concluded this and must apologize,” said Masafumi Kawashima, mayor of Izu Oshima.
Katsunobu Kato, a government spokesman, said his understanding is that proper warnings were issued regarding forecasts for heavy rain.
The areas affected by the mudslides were indicated as hazardous zones on maps, he said. More than 350 homes were damaged or destroyed.
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