Three of five family members were killed while two were rescued with injuries after a landslide caused by heavy rains hit their home in Aichi Prefecture in central Japan, local government officials said on Thursday.

The natural disaster struck Gamagori late Tuesday after the city experienced record-breaking rainfall as Typhoon Shanshan approached the country’s main islands, the Nagoya Weather Observatory said.

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Aug. 28, 2024, shows a landslide that occurred the previous day in the city of Gamagori in Aichi Prefecture as heavy rains hit the central Japanese city due to the approaching Typhoon Shanshan. Four members of a family living in a house at the location were missing. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

According to fire officials and the city, a couple in their 70s and their adult children – a son in his 30s and two daughters in their 40s – were in the two-story wooden house at the time. Both daughters were rescued, but one of them suffered serious injuries.

The identities of the five were not released.

The fire department was informed about the landslide at 10:11 p.m. on Tuesday, but the exact time of the disaster is still unknown, the city said.

From Monday night to Tuesday night, the city was hit by torrential rains. According to the observatory, the total amount during this period exceeded the monthly average for August.

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