Rescuers in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, are continuing their search for people’s loved ones after record rains last week triggered widespread landslides and flooding. Many affected areas are still recovering from a massive earthquake on New Year’s Day.
The death toll since the rains began stands at 11. Six other people are either unaccounted for or missing.
A team of around 480 rescuers were seen searching on Friday in Wajima, where four houses along a stretch of river have been swept away.
Japan Coast Guard personnel were seen diving offshore as part of the search for a 14-year-old girl. Her father expressed gratitude for their efforts.
Rescuers are also looking for a 68-year-old woman in a part of Noto Town that was cut off by mudslides. Her husband says he hopes she is found as soon as possible.
The disaster is a double blow to business owners who have spent much of the year trying to get back on their feet.
They include Wajima’s famed lacquerware artisans. Ueno Yoshikazu’s workshop was damaged in the quake on January 1. But the temporary space he recently began using has now been flooded.
Other parts of Japan are contributing to the recovery effort.
Four nursing and mental health care professionals are being dispatched to Wajima from a Red Cross hospital in Ise, Mie Prefecture.
They include a certified psychologist who says the rains may have left people unable to see a clear path to recovery from the earthquake.