Japan rain kills 8: Thousand stranded at Narita airport amid severe flooding

Eight killed after heavy rain spell in Japan. Unprecedented torrential rains struck eastern Japan, heavily impacting Chiba prefecture and causing major travel chaos, power outages, and fatalities.

Record rainfall in Japan stranded thousands of travellers at ‌Tokyo's airport on Friday, bringing floods to the surrounding area that disrupted transport, knocked out power to 20,000 homes.

The eight dead included one person trapped in a submerged vehicle, public broadcaster NHK said, citing Chiba authorities and police.

"This case was an extremely unusual situation," Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai told reporters. "I have responded to many disasters in the past, but I have never experienced a case like this."

As reported, around 7,000 travelers were left stranded overnight at Tokyo's Narita International Airport after surrounding roads and railway lines were severely flooded or suspended.

Passengers were provided emergency blankets, water, and supplies inside the terminal.

Parts of Chiba prefecture recorded over 360 millimeters (14 inches) of rain within a 24-hour window. At the height of the storm, hourly rates hit roughly 115 mm—equivalent to an entire typical month's worth of rain for August.

More than 20,000 homes were without power in the early hours of Friday, after rain flooded a power substation, utility Tokyo Electric Power said, while gas supply to nearly 13,000 was temporarily cut.

In Chiba city, one of the worst-hit spots, hundreds of people spent the night under foil blankets at makeshift evacuation centres in government buildings.

Some major highways in Chiba were shut, forcing drivers to take alternative routes that clogged traffic, said highway operator NEXCO East.

Several rail services were also suspended on Friday, though some services from Narita to Tokyo resumed, easing congestion at the international transport hub.

Weather authorities said the 367 mm (14.5 inches) of rain over a 24-hour period in Chiba exceeded the previous record of 309 mm (12.17 inches) set in October 2013.