Thousands stranded at Japan's Narita airport after record rain kills four

Record rainfall left thousands of travellers stranded at Tokyo's Narita airport on Friday as flooding in the surrounding area disrupted transport, knocked out power to homes and claimed at least four lives.



More than 360 millimetres of rain fell in 24 hours in parts of Chiba prefecture inundating roads and railways during one of Japan's busiest holiday weeks. Authorities said four deaths have been confirmed so far, including one person trapped in a submerged vehicle, while another person is missing. Soldiers have been dispatched to the area to help with relief efforts.



"This case was an extremely unusual situation," Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai told reporters on Friday morning. "I have responded to many disasters in the past, but I have never experienced a case like this." More than 22,000 households remained without power on Friday at 11:00 a.m. (0200 GMT), according to utility provider Tokyo Electric Power.



The transport disruption left around 7,000 people stranded at Narita, an airport spokesperson said, adding that all flights are scheduled to operate normally on Friday. Japan Airlines said some flights may experience delays but no cancellations are currently expected.