ATAMI, Shizuoka Pref.: Search operations were conducted for one missing person in a major mudslide that occurred in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, six months ago.

Some 70 officials from the Shizuoka prefectural police department and about 10 members of the Japan Coast Guard engaged in the search operations Monday, after offering silent prayers for the 26 fatal victims of the disaster at 10 a.m. the same day (1 a.m. GMT).

They searched for the missing woman near her home and at a local port into which the mud flowed. A police helicopter hovered overhead to join the search.

“We’re conducting the search operations with conviction that we’ll certainly find the missing person as soon as possible,” said Takao Izumo from the Shizuoka prefectural police.

The mudslide occurred on July 3 last year in the Izusan district in Atami, with a large amount of dirt running about 2 kilometers toward the sea.

In the district on Monday, residents affected by the disaster and others prayed for the souls of the victims.

The police have raided a real estate developer for allegedly conducting sloppy land-raising works at the point where the deadly mudslide began, suspecting that the works did not meet safety requirements.

JIJI Press