The death toll from huge landslides caused by heavy rain in western Japan rose to 52, as rescuers found more bodies, police said Monday.
Twenty eight people are still missing following the deadly rain-triggered landslides that occurred in a residential area in the mountains of Hiroshima City on Aug. 20, according to police.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the city on Monday morning, where he pledged full support by his government for the victims. "Many people are still missing. The central government will closely coordinate with the local Hiroshima government. We will do our best to restore peoples' safe and normal lives as soon as possible," Abe said at a meeting at the Hiroshima prefectural office.
About 1,700 residents remained in shelters on Sunday. About 3,000 rescue workers, including Self-Defense Force personnel and firefighters, continued search and rescue operations on Monday.
According to public broadcaster NHK, researchers say the massive mudslides in Hiroshima may have reached a speed of 40 kilometer per hour in some locations. The experts also estimate about 3,000 square meters of mud inundated residential areas, with the height of the mud reaching as high as 3 meters in some places.