Chiba's Record Rains Strand Thousands at Narita, Leave Eight Dead

Record rainfall in Japan's Chiba prefecture has caused widespread devastation, killing at least eight people and stranding thousands of travellers at Tokyo's Narita airport. The unprecedented downpour, which dumped over 360 mm of rain in 24 hours, triggered flash floods that inundated roads and railways, disrupting transport and knocking out power to 20,000 homes.

Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai described the situation as "extremely unusual," stating he had never experienced a disaster of this scale in his career. Public broadcaster NHK reported that the victims included a person trapped in a submerged vehicle.

At Narita airport, staff distributed sleeping bags, water, and snacks to hundreds of stranded passengers. Many had spent the night on the floor after transport disruptions left approximately 7,000 people unable to reach their destinations. One traveller, 48-year-old Minoru Yamasaki, described a four-hour wait for a taxi and being turned away from a hotel before returning to the airport.

An airport spokesperson indicated that most flights were expected to operate normally on Friday. However, the surrounding region remained in disarray. Tokyo Electric Power reported that flooding at a substation caused the power outages, while gas supply to nearly 13,000 customers was temporarily cut.

In Chiba city, one of the hardest-hit areas, hundreds of residents spent the night in makeshift evacuation centres under foil blankets. Major highways were closed, forcing drivers onto congested alternative routes, and several rail services were suspended, though some connections to Tokyo were restored.

The 367 mm of rain recorded in a 24-hour period surpassed the previous record of 309 mm set in October 2013. Soldiers have been deployed to assist with rescue and recovery operations in the affected areas.