Twenty-two tourists were rescued after being stranded on a promenade when a river overflowed its banks at Fukiware Falls in Numata City, Gunma Prefecture, on Monday.
At around 10:30 a.m., a call was made to 119 reporting that people had been stranded on the promenade due to rising water levels, Kyodo News reported.
According to the fire department, the promenade was blocked by the flooding, leaving 20 adults and two children stranded at one point, but they were all rescued within about an hour.
A heavy rain warning had been issued Monday morning for Numata City.
Fukiware Falls is a nationally designated natural monument formed by the erosion of the river bed of the Katashina River, and is one of the prefecture's leading tourist attractions. It is seven meters high and over 30 meters wide, and the spectacular sight of water flowing into a cleft in the rocks at the bottom of the river is popular with tourists.
There is a two-kilometer-long walking path that allows visitors to get close to the falls, but according to the local tourist association, the city closed the path at around 10 a.m. on Monday due to rising water levels in the river.
When a path is closed, security guards around the falls are supposed to guide tourists to a safe location, but because the river rose suddenly, and they were unable to do so.
© Japan Today
6 Comments
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sakurasuki
That's what happened if tourist go to unpopular tourist path, surprise can happen, since those place won't expect people to visit. They should just go to Asakusa, Ueno, Kyoto etc. Now their itinerary being ruined. Hope they enjoy their experience.
Hello Kitty 321
@ sakurasuki
If you read the article you will see that it says the falls are "one of the prefecture's leading tourist attractions," so hardly "an unpopular tourist path." Furthermore it does not say that they were foreign tourists, they may well live in Asakusa, Ueno or Kyoto for all we know.
wallace
How were they rescued?
buchailldana
That must have been scary
NB
Such floods are abnormal.
Albert
@sakurasuki
It doesn't matter where someone is going.