40 Dead in Japan Floods, as More Areas Warned of Heavy Rain

Areas are inundated in muddy waters that gushed out from the Kuma River in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan, July 4, 2020. (AP)
Areas are inundated in muddy waters that gushed out from the Kuma River in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan, July 4, 2020. (AP)
TT

40 Dead in Japan Floods, as More Areas Warned of Heavy Rain

Areas are inundated in muddy waters that gushed out from the Kuma River in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan, July 4, 2020. (AP)
Areas are inundated in muddy waters that gushed out from the Kuma River in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan, July 4, 2020. (AP)

The death toll from three days of heavy rain and flooding in southern Japan rose to 40 on Monday, including 14 who drowned at a riverside nursing home, as rescuers searched for 10 missing people and rain threatened wider areas of the main island of Kyushu, officials said.

Army troops and other rescuers worked their way through mud and debris along the flooded Kuma River, where many houses and buildings were submerged nearly to their roofs.

The Meteorological Agency issued the highest weather warning for three prefectures in northern Kyushu after heavy rain hit the island's southern region over the weekend.

More than half a million people were advised to evacuate across Kyushu, including riverside towns in Kumamoto city where 40 bodies were recovered. The evacuation was not mandatory and many people are believed to have opted to stay at home because of concerns over catching the coronavirus, even though officials said shelters were adequately equipped with partitions and other safety measures.

The dead included 14 of the 65 elderly residents of the nursing home next to the Kuma River, which is known as the “raging river” because it is joined by another river just upstream and is prone to flooding.

The river rose abruptly and its embankment gave in, causing floodwaters to gush into the nursing home, where most of the residents were bedridden or wheelchair users.

A caregiver on night duty told the Asahi newspaper that he saw the river rising in the early hours of Saturday and he and three colleagues woke everyone up and to prepare them for evacuation. But then he heard a window break and saw water pouring in and quickly rising to his knees, he said.

He heard voices calling for help and grabbed two people to lift them above the water, which continued to rise until his arms grew numb and he was no longer able to hold them and they died, he said.

“I’m so sorry. I really wanted to help them, but I couldn’t. I had no strength left,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.

Shunji Ogawa, a village assemblyman who regularly volunteers at the nursing home, said he joined the caregivers in helping move the residents but the water rose suddenly like a tsunami, the newspaper reported.



Woman Detained after Shooting Outside CIA Headquarters

The logo of the US Central Intelligence Agency is shown in the lobby of the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia March 3, 2005. REUTERS/Jason Reed JIR/File Photo
The logo of the US Central Intelligence Agency is shown in the lobby of the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia March 3, 2005. REUTERS/Jason Reed JIR/File Photo
TT

Woman Detained after Shooting Outside CIA Headquarters

The logo of the US Central Intelligence Agency is shown in the lobby of the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia March 3, 2005. REUTERS/Jason Reed JIR/File Photo
The logo of the US Central Intelligence Agency is shown in the lobby of the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia March 3, 2005. REUTERS/Jason Reed JIR/File Photo

Security guards opened fire on a woman who drove toward the gates of the CIA's headquarters near Washington, D.C. on Thursday, ignoring orders to stop, and she was then taken into custody, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a check of public records showed the suspect, identified as a young US citizen, had a history of driving under the influence.
A CIA spokesperson said earlier that security staff "engaged a person" outside the main gates and then arrested the suspect.
The spokesperson declined to say whether gunfire struck the suspect.
The source familiar with the matter also did not say whether the woman was hit but that she was in stable condition after the incident, which occurred at around 4 a.m. (0800 GMT).
NBC News reported earlier that the suspect was shot, citing a person with knowledge of the matter.
The woman drove into the main entrance through the outbound lane, and when security guards tried to stop her she evaded them and continued toward the gate, drawing their fire, the source told Reuters.
The vehicle never entered the CIA compound, and no security officers were hurt, according to the source.
The FBI was investigating the incident, the source said.
The CIA closed the main gate at its Langley compound and directed employees to seek alternate routes.
The shooting incident came after two Israeli Embassy staffers were killed by a lone gunman in downtown Washington on Wednesday night.
The source said there was no sign of a connection between the two incidents.