After a landslide in Atami, Japan's coastal city, rescue teams pulled survivors from their homes by heavy rain.Authorities claim that 19 people have been rescued so far, including an elderly couple.Two people were confirmed dead, but many others are still missing following a torrential mudflow that swept through the city, south west of Tokyo, on Saturday.Japanese media showed footage showing rescue workers looking for life among the rubble of fallen buildings.According to the Asahi news site, Yoshie Yuhara (75) and her husband Eiji (75), were among those who were rescued after being away for 26 hours. According to them, they heard a "roaring sound like heavy machinery" as the landslide struck and fled to the top floor of their three-storey home before the lower floors became inundated.Naoto Date (55-year-old actor) returned to his hometown Saturday to witness the destruction.He said, "I just wanted (to cry) when I saw the events" "Many elderly people lived there. It is sad to think that people may have died in the aftermath of the disaster.As it plowed into Atami, the landslide destroyed dozens of houses.Yuta Hara was a spokesperson for Atami city hall and said that the rain made the ground unstable, and that 387 people were evacuated.Residents reported that the mudslide occurred at 10:30 local time (02:30 GMT) on Saturday, after days of torrential rains in central and eastern Japan.The city, a popular resort for its hot springs, saw more rain in the first three days than usual during July.Following warnings of flooding in low-lying areas, hundreds of thousands of residents from three prefectures, Shizuoka Kanagawa, Chiba and Kanagawa, were ordered to evacuate.Prime Minister Yoshihide Sug, who met with ministers to discuss an emergency, asked residents of the most affected areas to remain alert and take precautions.
