Devastating Landslide Tears Through Hiroshima

Hillsides were swept down into residential areas in at least five valleys in the suburbs of western Hiroshima after heavy rains on Wednesday.

Image: An aerial view of the damage caused by a landslide after heavy rains hit the city of Hiroshima, western Japan, on Aug. 20.

An aerial view of the damage caused by a landslide after heavy rains hit the city of Hiroshima, western Japan, on Aug. 20.JIJI PRESS / AFP - Getty Images

Aug. 21, 2014, 2:16 AM UTC / Updated Aug. 21, 2014, 2:14 AM UTC

Rain-sodden slopes collapsed in torrents of mud, rock and debris Wednesday in the outskirts of Hiroshima, Japan, killing at least 36 people and leaving seven missing. Hillsides were swept down into residential areas in at least five valleys in the suburbs of the western Japanese city after heavy rains.

Image: JSDF soldiers and police officers carry the body of a victim in a plastic bag at a site where a landslide swept through a residential area at Asaminami ward in Hiroshima — Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) soldiers and police officers carry the body of a victim in a plastic bag at the site where a landslide swept through a residential area at Asaminami ward in Hiroshima, western Japan, on Wednesday.Toru Hanai / Reuters