- Yokkaichi City in Japan received 123.5 mm of rainfall in an hour, causing serious problems.
- A two-floor underground parking was flooded, with 274 vehicles suffering water damage.
- Among the totaled cars were a Nissan R35 GT-R and a tuned Mercedes S-Class.
Leaving a car in a secure parking structure usually feels like the safe choice, but even those facilities can be overwhelmed when nature strikes hard. In Japan, an underground parking garage was hit by severe flooding after record-breaking rainfall, leaving 274 vehicles beyond repair.
More: Cars Frozen Like Zombies After 100-Year-Old Main Floods Street
The storm hit on the night of September 12 in Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture. Within just one hour, 123.5 mm (4.86 inches) of rain fell, the largest amount ever recorded in the region. The sheer volume pushed the city’s drainage network far past its limit.
Defenses Overrun
Kusunoki Parking, a business located near the city center, didn’t stand a chance. Despite the fact that employees piled up sandbags at the entrances, there was no way to stop the water from getting inside. After the rain, the first floor with a ceiling height of 3.5 m (11.5 feet) was fully submerged in water, while the second floor was submerged to 1.2 m (3.9 feet).
As reported by Kuruma News, the parking facilities can accommodate around 500 vehicles across two floors, but it wasn’t at full capacity during the storm. Still, 274 cars were trapped inside, practically with no chance of survival. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries.
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Mie River National Highway Office
Authorities began draining operations on September 13 using pump trucks, yet the garage remained waterlogged until the morning of September 17. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Mie River and National Highway Office later posted images of the damage on X, showing the scale of the disaster.
More: This Rivian R1T Floated 150 Feet During Hurricane Helene And Still Runs Fine
Among the submerged cars were high-profile models such as a Nissan R35 GT-R and what appeared to be a Porsche Cayman. The lineup also included several Mercedes models, including a modified S-Class, G-Class, CLA Shooting Brake, and A-Class, as well as a BMW X6.
Of course, there were plenty of Toyotas, including the Crown Sedan, Land Cruiser Prado, Prius, Alphard, HiAce, and Probox. Finally, we can see a few kei cars, such as the adorable Mitsubishi Delica Mini. The dirt proves that most of the vehicles were fully submerged in rainwater, which means it also got inside their cabins and mechanical components.
As you can imagine, the financial toll will be significant. The company operating the underground parking has already begun identifying vehicle owners before arranging removals. However, because parking facilities generally disclaim responsibility for natural disasters, compensation will largely fall to insurance coverage. Policies in Japan typically include protection against flood damage, but claims of this scale will be substantial.
【四日市地下駐車場】
地下２階の被害状況調査中の様子その２です。#くすの木パーキング #四日市豪雨 pic.twitter.com/m0B9LfipMK— 国土交通省 三重河川国道事務所 (@mlit_mie) September 16, 2025
