OSHIMA, Japan, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Rescue crews Thursday searched for survivors of landslides triggered by Typhoon Wipha, blamed for 19 deaths on Japan's Izu-Oshima island, officials said.
More than 30 people were still unaccounted Thursday, The Ashai Shimbun reported.
Heavy rains from the typhoon on Wednesday set off landslides that engulfed 1.14 million square meters and damaged or destroyed 283 homes, Oshima town officials estimated.
Part of the western side of Mount Miharayama collapsed, creating a swathe of mud, trees and sand about a half-mile wide and about two-thirds of a mile long, The Ashai Shimbun said.
The Meteorological Agency said Oshima had received 13 inches of rain during a three-hour period Wednesday, the second-largest amount recorded in Japan ever.
