Thousands stranded at Japan's Narita airport after record rain kills four

Record rainfall has left thousands of travellers stranded at Tokyo's Narita airport on Friday morning as flooding in the surrounding area disrupted transport, knocked out power to homes and claimed at least four lives.

More than 360 millimetres of rain fell in 24 hours in parts of Chiba prefecture, which adjoins the capital Tokyo, inundating roads and railways and knocking out power to nearly 25,000 households during one of Japan's busiest holiday weeks.

Authorities said four deaths have been confirmed so far, including at least one person trapped in a submerged vehicle. Soldiers have been dispatched to the area to help with relief efforts.

"This case was an extremely unusual situation, even by Japan's historical weather standards," Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai told reporters on Friday morning. "I have responded to many disasters in the past, but I have never experienced a case like this."

More than 22,000 households remained without power on Friday at 11:00 am (0200 GMT), according to utility provider Tokyo Electric Power. In Chiba city, one of the worst hit areas, hundreds of people spent the night under foil blankets at government buildings serving as temporary evacuation centres.

The transport disruption left around 7,000 people stranded at Narita, an airport spokesperson said, adding that all flights are scheduled to operate normally on Friday. Japan Airlines said some flights may experience delays, but no cancellations are currently expected.

Major highways in Chiba, including routes linking Narita airport, one of Japan's main international transport hubs, with central Tokyo, remained closed, forcing drivers onto alternative routes and causing heavy traffic, according to highway operator NEXCO East.

Several rail services remained suspended on Friday morning, though some trains connecting Narita to Tokyo had resumed operations.