A memorial ceremony was held Thursday for the 28 victims of a mudslide that struck Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, in 2021.
In the ceremony, held by the Atami government from 9 a.m. at an elementary school in the city's disaster-hit Izusan district, participants laid flowers for the victims.
"We will do everything to achieve recovery and reconstruction as soon as possible," Atami Mayor Sakae Saito said at the ceremony. Shizuoka Gov. Yasutomo Suzuki was also among the participants.
At 10:28 a.m., the time when the first report of the mudslide came in four years ago, participants offered silent prayers for the victims as sirens blared around the city.
"For the families left behind, the disaster seems like yesterday," Yoko Koiso, 75, who lost her daughter, then 44, said tearfully. "Every day, I think about why she had to die."
The mudslide occurred on July 3, 2021, after heavy rain led to the collapse of a soil mound built in an upstream area of the Aizome River. It destroyed 136 buildings and left 28 people dead, including one disaster-related fatality.
Bereaved families have filed a lawsuit for damages against the prefecture, the city, and the former and current owners of the site where the mound was built. The Shizuoka Prefectural Police are continuing a criminal investigation into the case on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death.
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