In a Saturday statement, Qassemi also offered sympathy to the Japanese nation and government and the bereaved families of the tragic incident’s victims.
The landslide has buried houses and people in the small town of Atsuma on Japan’s northern island prefecture of Hokkaido.
The landslide was triggered by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake that shook the island Thursday, killing at least 20 people, collapsing houses and cutting power to millions of homes.
It’s the latest in a series of disasters that have hit the country, after multiple deaths caused by a severe typhoon, flooding, and heat waves this summer. Experts say this could be the “new normal.”
