Several people were reported missing after heavy rains and landslides in southern Japan flooded homes and swept people away on Monday, according to media reports and local officials.
Rescue teams continue to search for missing individuals after Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency advised tens of thousands of people in six prefectures to evacuate to safer areas.
In Kumamoto prefecture, rescuers are searching for three people, one of whom was heading to an evacuation center with family when a mudslide hit their vehicle, according to the Associated Press. Areas of the prefecture were under Japan’s most serious evacuation warning.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued landslide warnings for Kumamoto and eight other prefectures.
In Misato town, also in the prefecture, rescuers saved an elderly man who was trapped inside his house after it was struck by a landslide and brought him to a hospital, the town’s duty official told ABC News. He is expected to survive.
Two people in Fukuoka city reportedly were swept away in a surging river Sunday and remained missing, Japanese national broadcaster NHK reported.
Around 400 millimeters of rain fell in areas of Kumamoto prefecture in a 24 hour period — a record for the area, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
“I have never experienced rain like this,” said Yoichi Tachihara, who leads the forecast and warning division at the Japan Meteorological Agency, in a press conference. “There is a real threat to people’s lives.”
“Take the best action to protect your life immediately and with maximum caution,” urged Japan’s Office of Disaster Management on Sunday evening in a post on X.
Local television stations showed overflowing rivers and submerged houses and shops and roads submerged in up to a meter of water.
A warm humid weather front resulted in unstable atmospheric pressure, leading to extreme rain in the region, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Monday’s flooding hit during one of the busiest weeks of travel in the country. Monday is a national holiday which leads into the annual Obon Festival, when millions of people travel to their hometowns to commemorate the spirits of ancestors and deceased loved ones.
Trains across Japan are usually fully booked during this holiday period. However, due to the extreme weather, the Japan Railway Company suspended service on multiple lines.
Although the emergency warning was reduced to a less urgent heavy rain warning on Monday afternoon, the Japan Meteorological Agency warned that the soil had become unstable due to the precipitation, leaving the region at an elevated risk of landslides even without excessive rain.
“Be on high alert,” said Tachihara.