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Landslides in Japan kills at least 36, including 1 Korean

August 21, 2014
In this aerial photo, rescue workers search for survivors in an area devastated by a massive landslide which swept through residential areas in Hiroshima, western Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014. A several people died and at least a dozen were missing after rain-sodden hills in the outskirts of Hiroshima gave way early Wednesday in several landslides. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

In this aerial photo, rescue workers search for survivors in an area devastated by a massive landslide which swept through residential areas in Hiroshima, western Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014. A several people died and at least a dozen were missing after rain-sodden hills in the outskirts of Hiroshima gave way early Wednesday in several landslides. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

(Yonhap) — A South Korean man was confirmed dead and his wife seriously injured in deadly landslides that have hit the outskirts of the western Japanese city of Hiroshima, a government official said Thursday.

The couple in their 70s were washed away on Wednesday by the landslides triggered by heavy rain, Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kwang-il told reporters.

He said South Korean diplomats were providing consular assistance to the family members of the couple, but he did not elaborate on the condition of the elderly woman.

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se offered condolences to his Japanese counterpart over the landslides that Japanese police say have left at least 36 people dead, according to Noh.