TOKYO, JP. (THECOUNT) — Residents of a city near Tokyo, Japan, were alarmed after “black rain” began falling from the skies recently covering sidewalks and streets and everything else below.
The cause of the black rain, which resembled oil, is under investigation by Japanese official, who had no quick answers as to its origin.
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“Black rain came down today over a wide area including Ageo, Iwatsuki, Kuki, and Hasuda… It looks like oil and is under investigation… officials said they checked radiation levels and nothing unusual was found… Black rain is disturbing…”
Various news sites and Twitter feeds reported that the mysterious black rain fell on March 2, primarily over Hasuda City in the Saitama Prefecture, which is part of the Greater Tokyo area, but also in the neighboring towns of Ageo, Iwatsuki and Kuki. Officials in Hasuda received various reports stating that “black rain is falling”, “road is black”, and “car is black.” (Photos here.) Since this is part of the Tokyo area, they assured residents that they monitor the air quality all the time and “there seems to be no abnormality from the measurement results of pollutants in the air.”
Officials also looked for active volcanoes but there were no current nearby eruptions. As always in the country where the only two atomic bombs were ever detonated, they also monitor radioactive fallout and found nothing unusual, reports MysteriousUniverse.
Following the event, speculation and panic ran wild, especially with Tokyo in the throes of trying to decide what to do about the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in lieu of the current COVID-19 outbreak.
Some social media users wondered if the black rain was the result of virus victims being cremated, but at the time officials reported just six fatalities from coronavirus in all of Japan.
The incident remains under investigation.
DEVELOPING::
Geo quick facts: Tokyo, Japan’s busy capital, mixes the ultramodern and the traditional, from neon-lit skyscrapers to historic temples. The opulent Meiji Shinto Shrine is known for its towering gate and surrounding woods. The Imperial Palace sits amid large public gardens. The city’s many museums offer exhibits ranging from classical art (in the Tokyo National Museum) to a reconstructed kabuki theater – wikipedia.