[ad_1]
Yuri Kageyama, Associated Press
. Posted Saturday 7th July 2018 08:33 EDT
Last Updated on 7 July 2018 22:08 EDT
TOKYO (Reuters) – Torrential rains hit southern Japan for the third day, prompting new warnings on Kyushu and Shikoku islands on Sunday, as the government reported 48 dead and 28 dead.
Yoshihide Suga said that 92 people were unknown, mainly in the southern region of Hiroshima Prefecture.
More than 100 reports of victims were received, such as cars being taken away, he added. Forty helicopters were on rescue mission
"Rescue operations are a battle over time," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. "The rescue teams are doing everything possible."
The Japan Meteorological Agency said that three hours of precipitation in an area of Kochi Prefecture reached 26.3 centimeters (10.4 inches), the highest since 1976
. The badessment of the victims has been difficult because of the extensive area affected by rainfall, floods and landslides. Authorities have warned that landslides could hit even after the rain has calmed down, with calamity potentially the worst in decades.
Kochi Prefecture, on Shikoku, issued nearly entire landslide warnings. Public broadcaster NHK TV showed cars overturned on mud-covered roads. A convenience store employee, who had taken refuge on a nearby roof, said that the water had reached the height of his head
The Japanese government set up an emergency office , designed for seizures such as big earthquakes. Okayama Prefecture, on the main island of Honshu, was oozed into brown water that spread like a huge lake. Some people fled to rooftops and balconies and furiously agitated hovering helicopters. Military paddle boats were also used to bring people to the mainland.
Okayama Prefecture said that three people had died, six others were missing and seven were injured, one seriously Six houses were destroyed. The prefecture said in a statement that evacuation orders had been sent to more than 910,000 people.
The Kyodo News Service reported several deaths during a landslide in Hiroshima and several bodies were found in the former capital of Kyoto. where rains have been abundant in recent days.
Throughout hard-hit areas, rivers swelled and parked cars sat in puddles. Japan sent troops, firefighters, police and other disaster relief. People have also taken social media to advocate for help.
In Ehime Prefecture, a woman was found dead on the second floor of a house buried by a landslide, Kyodo said. Also in Ehime, two elementary schoolgirls and their mother who were sucked into a mudslide were removed but could not be relaunched, she said.
[1945米のの屋近近家家家[[[[[[[[[[] も う ダ メ か. # 大雨 # 豪雨 # 九州 # 久留 米 pic.twitter.com/LAlKCGkSwt
– の り く ん @ ゆ と り 主任 (@ hero_no_reAL214) ] July 6, 2018
