Three people, believed to be members of a family, are reported to be trapped after a landslide early Friday morning in the city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, according to local authorities. Firefighters and police are actively searching for them.
At around 4 a.m., a slope in the Midorimachi area gave way and sent a deluge of earth into a nearby house, burying it. The landslide, which occurred on a slope approximately 50 meters wide and 100 meters high, originated from the eastern side of Matsuyama Castle's main keep, according to the Matsuyama City Fire Department.
Matsuyama has experienced intermittent heavy rain since late Wednesday. The Meteorological Agency reported 213 millimeters of rain from 11 p.m. Wednesday up to 8 a.m. on Friday, close to the average total rainfall for the month of July. A heavy rain advisory was issued just before the landslide, followed by a warning at 4:30 a.m.