The landslide July 10 near Izumi, Kagoshima Prefecture, has brought back memories of massive flash floods that have devastated areas of Kyushu in the past.
The landslide that occurred early July 10 has left 19 people dead and two missing. In July 1993, the prefecture had three times more rainfall than in an average year, making the land prone to landslides. At the end of the month, more torrential rain drenched the prefecture, triggering a landslide that killed 23 people.
On Aug. 6 of the same year, accidents caused by the heavy rain that fell on the city of Kagoshima killed nearly 50 people. In total, from the start of the 1993 rainy season through September, landslides killed more than 100 people.
The worst flooding in the entire Kyushu region occurred in the city of Isahaya, Nagasaki Prefecture, in July 1957. More than 500 people were killed.
In July 1982, 299 people died in extremely heavy rain. Landslides in 1990 claimed more than 20 lives, mostly in Kumamoto and Oita prefectures. The Fukuoka District Meteorological Observatory said a major landslide is likely when it rains after the end of the rainy season.