Overview
- The slope behind homes in Kuju Town collapsed Wednesday evening, striking an area about 30 meters high, 10 meters wide and 60 meters long and sweeping away a wooden two‑story house.
- A 55‑year‑old woman who lived in the house was partially buried, rescued by police and neighbors, and taken to hospital with a fractured leg while her 32‑year‑old son was away and unhurt.
- Kuju Town ordered nine households, about 30 people, to evacuate and moved them to shelters as heavy machinery removed soil that also blocked sections of Prefectural Route 409.
- Prefectural authorities opened an investigation noting no rain in the 24 hours before the collapse and are examining local causes, including reports of a leaking water channel at the site.
- The slope lies inside a designated special sediment‑disaster warning zone where prefectural disaster‑prevention works were due this year, a fact that may prompt earlier inspections and action on nearby terrain.