18 dead, 13 missing as torrential rain hits Hiroshima

HIROSHIMA. KAZINFORM Eighteen people were confirmed dead and 13 remained unaccounted for after a series of landslides triggered by torrential rain engulfed a residential area in the mountains in Hiroshima, western Japan, on Wednesday, the National Police Agency said.

The Defense Ministry dispatched about 30 Ground Self-Defense Force members for rescue operations, but the government said the number of troops will be increased to 630, Kyodo reports. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was taking his summer vacation in Yamanashi Prefecture, cut short a game of golf and returned to his office in Tokyo to deal with the disaster.