Troops join search for missing in northern Japan landslide

By YURI KAGEYAMA
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — A landslide has destroyed about a dozen homes in northern Japan, leaving at least two people missing, and troops are on their way to help in the rescue. A man and a woman were rescued from homes that were buried in dirt that had tumbled down a nearby mountain in Tsuruoka city in Yamagata Prefecture in northwestern Japan on Saturday. But more residents were feared still caught beneath the rubble. A rescue operation involving firefighters and police officers began after a call came in asking for help shortly after midnight, according to police. The prefecture has also asked for help from the Defense Ministry.