CHIBA, Japan - Municipalities in Chiba Prefecture hit by torrential rain last week continued to remove cars that had been abandoned after becoming submerged as traffic increased Monday following the Obon holidays.
Some 2,700 vehicles remained abandoned in the prefecture as of Sunday, with many roads still blocked by them, triggering traffic jams Monday.
There were also reports of rear-end crashes involving stranded vehicles following the heavy flooding in the prefecture Thursday and Friday. The city of Chiba said it has moved to the roadside about 500 of the roughly 2,500 cars stranded on roads it manages.
Abandoned vehicles reduced two lanes to a single usable lane on many roads in the city, forcing drivers to slow down.
The city set up a disaster volunteer center Monday to accept volunteers for cleaning up houses damaged by the rain.
According to the prefecture, 10 people died in the torrential rain and two men remain missing.
