Multiple cars may have been caught in a landslide that occurred in Nara Prefecture on Saturday, with police and fire authorities continuing searches on Monday for those affected.
At around 8:55 p.m. on Saturday, the police received an emergency call that a car had been trapped in a landslide along National Route 169, in the village of Shimokitayama in Nara.
A minivehicle driven by a man his 50s was found buried under the mud. The man was rescued about seven hours later and was taken to hospital. He was not in a life-threatening condition.
According to the Nara Prefectural Police and other sources, a slope of about 5 meters high and about 20 to 30 meters wide along the national road collapsed and the mud blocked the road. As a landslide occurred at the same site in May due to rain, a guard fence had been set up there.
The man who was rescued said that several cars were running ahead of him.
As white smoke rose at the scene, police and fire official continued their searches, suspecting that multiple cars might have been affected.
The prefectural police have received a report saying that a man in his 70s who had been heading to Mie Prefecture from Wakayama Prefecture to go fishing is unaccounted for. He is thought to have driven on the affected road.