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Dozens of people are dead and at least 50 are missing after torrential rains and sudden floods in western Japan Saturday
Local authorities said 20 people were killed, while The NHK public channel The number of casualties is expected to increase, according to Yoshinobu Katsuura, a disaster management officer in Ehime Prefecture.
Prime Minister Shinzō Abe said the situation was "extremely serious" and ordered Ministers had to "make every effort" to save the victims
Rainfall hampered rescue operations Hiroshima, Ehime, Okayama, Kyoto and other regions.
Water levels reached five meters in the worst conditions. affected areas, forcing some residents on rooftops and balconies to attract the attention of rescue helicopters.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has upgraded its top-level warning system – issued only when the amount of rain is expected to be highest in decades – in vast areas of the west from Japan, while raising the alert in other regions.
Among the missing, five people were buried when houses collapsed in the prefecture of Hiroshima. In Ehime Prefecture, a woman was found dead on the second floor of a house hit by a landslide, Kyodo said.
Yamaguchi Prefecture, another area hit by heavy rain, warned.
Kyoto Prefecture stated that it was working to control the floods of several dams. About 250 people had to flee their homes and the prefecture identified one death as a 52-year-old woman.
Roads were blocked in certain areas and warnings were issued on landslides. Military water trucks were rushing to areas where water systems were no longer working, Okayama Prefecture said.
Although Japan is among the most modernized Asian nations, rural areas are hard hit by the rainy season every year, often resulting in losses and heavy damage.
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