HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Searches continued Sunday night for victims of heavy rainfall that hammered southern Japan for the third straight day, as the government put the death toll at 48, with 28 others presumed dead.

Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the whereabouts of 92 other people were unknown, mostly in the southern area of Hiroshima prefecture. More than 100 reports of casualties had been received, such as cars being swept away, he said. Some 40 helicopters were out on rescue missions.

“Rescue efforts are a battle with time,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. “The rescue teams are doing their utmost.”

The Japan Meteorological Agency said three hours of rainfall in one area in Kochi prefecture reached an accumulated 26.3 centimeters (10.4 inches), the highest since such records started in 1976.

The assessment of casualties has been difficult because of the widespread area affected by the rainfall, flooding and landslides. Authorities warned that landslides could strike even after rain subsides as the calamity shaped up to be potentially the worst in decades.

In Hiroshima prefecture, water streamed through a residential area, strewn with fallen telephone poles, uprooted trees and mud. Some homes were smashed.

A woman who was reported as missing after getting trapped in her car was found but was pronounced dead, Kyodo news service reported. In another area in Hiroshima, 12 people went missing when a residential area got sucked into a landslide, and one body was later found.

Kochi prefecture, on Shikoku, issued landslide warnings almost over the entire island. Public broadcaster NHK TV showed overturned cars on roads covered with mud. A convenience store worker, who had fled to a nearby rooftop, said water had reached as high as his head.

The Japanese government set up an emergency office, designed for crises such as major earthquakes. Military paddle boats were also being used to take people to dry land.

Okayama prefecture said in a statement that four people had died, eight others were missing and 11 were injured, at least one of them seriously. Seven homes were destroyed, dozens more were damaged, while more than 570 were flooded.

Kyodo reported several deaths in a landslide in Hiroshima and more bodies were retrieved from collapsed housing in the ancient capital of Kyoto, both areas where the rainfall was heavy in the past few days.

Throughout the hard-hit areas, rivers swelled and parked cars sat in pools of water. Japan has sent troops, firefighters, police and other disaster relief. People have also taken to social media to plead for help.</s>Tokyo, July 8 (IANS) The death toll has risen to 81 after record torrential rains pummelled wide swathes of Japan since Thursday, triggering landslides and flooding, the media reported on Sunday.

According to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, 78 people have been confirmed dead, eight people sustained serious injuries and at least 57 people are unaccounted for, reports Xinhua news agency.

Of the 78 people confirmed dead, 35 were in Hiroshima prefecture which was hit hardest by the heavy rain and landslides, 20 in Ehime prefecture, while people were also reported dead in the prefectures of Fukuoka, Kyoto, Okayama, Gifu, Kochi, Shiga, Hyogo, and Yamaguchi in western and southwestern Japan, said NHK.

Some 54,000 members of the police, fire departments, Self-Defence Forces and the Japan Coast Guard have been involved in search efforts for the people trapped or wounded in landslides and flooding triggered by the heavy rain.

By Sunday evening, 2.5 million people in 15 prefectures were still under evacuation orders.

According to Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the record rain had caused land disasters such as landslides at 201 locations in 28 of Japan’s 47 prefectures.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said an active seasonal rain front had been causing torrential rain in most eastern and western regions of Japan since Thursday.

The agency has warned that Japan’s Kinki region, which includes Kyoto, Hyogo and Osaka prefectures, could be particularly hard-hit by the downpour, escalating the risk of floods, landslides, lightning and tornadoes.

Rivers from Hokkaido to Kyushu have been reported as running above flood warning levels and the weather agency has warned of further landslides possibly being triggered by the record-levels of rainfall.

Transportation services have been severely disrupted since Thursday, with Shinkansen bullet train services partially suspended in most parts of western Japan and major arterial highways partially closed.

Manufacturing was also hit hard by the heavy downpour and flooding, as major carmakers such as Mazda Motor Corp and Mitsubishi Motors Corp and manufacturer such as Panasonic Corp suspending operations at some plants in western Japan.</s>Japanese government says 100 are dead or presumed dead after heavy rains, floods and mudslides in western Japan

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Japanese government says 100 are dead or presumed dead after heavy rains, floods and mudslides in western Japan.</s>Dozens have been reported killed, more are missing, as over 4 million people have been ordered to or advised to evacuate their homes.

Historic, heavy rains in southwest Japan has led to 38 fatalities, at least 50 reported missing, and over 4.72 million residents ordered or advised to evacuate their homes. Of the 4.72 million, an estimated 1.6 million people have been evacuated, reported USA Today. The rains have triggered mudslides and landslides that have killed people who got caught outside. Some of the worst-hit areas include the Okayama prefecture, according to Bloomberg.

So far, 48,000 people from the Self-Defense Forces, police, and firefighters are working on search and rescue missions. Another 21,000 troops are reportedly standing by awaiting orders. Japanese soldiers rescued people by boat in Hiroshima, while others were rescued from rooftops by helicopters. Military water trucks are also reportedly supplying water to those who need it.

The rains have caused flooding as deep as 16 feet in the most severely affected areas.

Fatality counts have not been deemed accurate yet. Those who have been reported killed include two young girls and their mother, who were swept away in a mudslide, a woman found in a home, and a 77-year-old Takashima man who fell into a river, detailed Reuters.

“The number of casualties is expected to increase as we are still in the middle of collecting information,” an official, Yoshinobu Katsuura, said.

“This is a record high rainfall which we never experienced.” Abe asked his cabinet to take “every measure to prevent the disaster from worsening by taking advance actions,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

Flooding is expected to continue in Gifu, Hiroshima, and Shimane, while southern, western, and central Japan expect additional rain, said the New York Times. The rain could continue through Sunday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

A nursing home is reportedly flooded in Kurashiki City, although further details are still unknown.

Many people cried out for help on Twitter, as Japan Today described one woman’s please for help.

“Water came to the middle of the second floor… The kids could not climb up to the rooftop… My body temperature has lowered. Rescue us quickly. help us.”

Information about the people at the municipal shelters is still sparse, while social media buzzes with photos and video of the disaster-stricken country.

Familiar landscapes have been turned into giant rivers, as the extent of the damage is still unknown. With no apparent end of the torrential rains in sight for at least another day, conditions are expected to get worse.</s>At least 85 people have died and 58 are unaccounted for as torrential rains continued to batter parts of western Japan on Sunday, causing landslides and flooding and forcing millions of people from their homes, local media reported.

Television footage showed bridges and cars washed away by raging rivers and floodwaters, with people perched on the roofs of their homes, surrounded by water and awaiting rescue.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency had issued rare “emergency warnings” against landslides, rising rivers, strong winds and lightning strikes caused by what it called “historic” rains in 23 prefectures across the western and central parts of the country. The rains began Thursday and continued into Sunday in many areas.

Such warnings are issued in anticipation of the sort of extreme conditions that occur just once or twice in 50 years, Kyodo News reported.

“There are still many people missing and others in need of help. We are working against time,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday morning.

More than 1.6 million people were ordered to evacuate their homes, while 3.1 million were put on high alert and urged to do so. Nevertheless, Kyodo said, many had remained at home.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said 54,000 police officers, firefighters, and members of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and coast guard had been mobilized in the rescue effort, Kyodo reported, with TV footage showing them using boats and helicopters to bring people to safety.

Public broadcaster NHK said flooding and landslides were hindering rescue efforts and repeatedly urged people not to lose hope.

Among the dead was a 3-year-old girl whose home was hit by a landslide in Hiroshima prefecture, Reuters reported.

“It’s very painful,” one elderly man watching nearby said. “I have a granddaughter the same age. If it were her, I wouldn’t be able to stop crying.”

Two sisters from an elementary school with just six students on the small island of Nuwa in Ehime prefecture also died, according to Reuters. The younger, a first-grader, was a star and the hope of the depopulated island, the principal told NHK.

The western Hiroshima prefecture was hit the hardest by landslides, which claimed 37 lives, while 21 people died in Ehime, NHK reported.

In August 2014, 77 people died in Hiroshima when torrential rain triggered massive landslides, but one resident told Kyodo that the rains were heavier this time.

Auto manufacturers Mitsubishi and Mazda were forced to halt production at some factories because they could not get parts or did not want to force employees to travel to work in dangerous conditions, Kyodo reported.

Follow the Bangor Daily News on Facebook for the latest Maine news.</s>Japanese government says 100 are dead or presumed dead after heavy rains, floods and mudslides in western Japan

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Japanese government says 100 are dead or presumed dead after heavy rains, floods and mudslides in western Japan.</s>HIROSHIMA, Japan – Searches continued Sunday night for victims of heavy rainfall that hammered southern Japan for the third straight day, as the government put the death toll at 48, with 28 others presumed dead.

Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the whereabouts of 92 other people were unknown, mostly in the southern area of Hiroshima prefecture. More than 100 reports of casualties had been received, such as cars being swept away, he said. Some 40 helicopters were out on rescue missions.

“Rescue efforts are a battle with time,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. “The rescue teams are doing their utmost.”

The Japan Meteorological Agency said three hours of rainfall in one area in Kochi prefecture reached an accumulated 26.3 centimeters (10.4 inches), the highest since such records started in 1976.

The assessment of casualties has been difficult because of the widespread area affected by the rainfall, flooding and landslides. Authorities warned that landslides could strike even after rain subsides as the calamity shaped up to be potentially the worst in decades.

In Hiroshima prefecture, a woman who was reported as missing after getting trapped in her car was found but was pronounced dead, Kyodo news service reported. In another area in Hiroshima, 12 people went missing when a residential area got sucked into a landslide, and one body was later found.

Kochi prefecture, on Shikoku, issued landslide warnings almost over the entire island. Public broadcaster NHK TV showed overturned cars on roads covered with mud. A convenience store worker, who had fled to a nearby rooftop, said water had reached as high as his head.

The Japanese government set up an emergency office, designed for crises such as major earthquakes. Military paddle boats were also being used to take people to dry land.

Okayama prefecture said in a statement that four people had died, eight others were missing and 11 were injured, at least one of them seriously. Seven homes were destroyed, dozens more were damaged, while more than 570 were flooded.

Kyodo reported several deaths in a landslide in Hiroshima and more bodies were retrieved from collapsed housing in the ancient capital of Kyoto, both areas where the rainfall was heavy in the past few days.

Throughout the hard-hit areas, rivers swelled and parked cars sat in pools of water. Japan has sent troops, firefighters, police and other disaster relief. People have also taken to social media to plead for help.</s>Japanese government says 100 are dead or presumed dead after heavy rains, floods and mudslides in western Japan

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Japanese government says 100 are dead or presumed dead after heavy rains, floods and mudslides in western Japan.</s>HIROSHIMA, Japan – Searches continued Sunday night for victims of heavy rainfall that hammered southern Japan for the third straight day, as the government put the death toll at 48, with 28 others presumed dead.

Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the whereabouts of 92 other people were unknown, mostly in the southern area of Hiroshima prefecture. More than 100 reports of casualties had been received, such as cars being swept away, he said. Some 40 helicopters were out on rescue missions.

“Rescue efforts are a battle with time,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. “The rescue teams are doing their utmost.”

The Japan Meteorological Agency said three hours of rainfall in one area in Kochi prefecture reached an accumulated 26.3 centimeters (10.4 inches), the highest since such records started in 1976.

The assessment of casualties has been difficult because of the widespread area affected by the rainfall, flooding and landslides. Authorities warned that landslides could strike even after rain subsides as the calamity shaped up to be potentially the worst in decades.

In Hiroshima prefecture, a woman who was reported as missing after getting trapped in her car was found but was pronounced dead, Kyodo news service reported. In another area in Hiroshima, 12 people went missing when a residential area got sucked into a landslide, and one body was later found.

Kochi prefecture, on Shikoku, issued landslide warnings almost over the entire island. Public broadcaster NHK TV showed overturned cars on roads covered with mud. A convenience store worker, who had fled to a nearby rooftop, said water had reached as high as his head.

The Japanese government set up an emergency office, designed for crises such as major earthquakes. Military paddle boats were also being used to take people to dry land.

Okayama prefecture said in a statement that four people had died, eight others were missing and 11 were injured, at least one of them seriously. Seven homes were destroyed, dozens more were damaged, while more than 570 were flooded.

Kyodo reported several deaths in a landslide in Hiroshima and more bodies were retrieved from collapsed housing in the ancient capital of Kyoto, both areas where the rainfall was heavy in the past few days.

Throughout the hard-hit areas, rivers swelled and parked cars sat in pools of water. Japan has sent troops, firefighters, police and other disaster relief. People have also taken to social media to plead for help.</s>Torrents of rainfall and flooding battered a widespread area in southwestern Japan on Saturday, leaving at least 15 people dead and more than 50 missing, according to Japanese media.

As the death toll continued to climb from the rainfall, which began earlier this week, Okayama prefecture said a man caught in a landslide was pronounced dead.

Kyodo news service reported another death in a landslide in Hiroshima, which set off a fire, while the body of a child was found in a flooded area.

Among the missing were five people who got buried when housing collapsed, also in Hiroshima prefecture. In Ehime prefecture, a woman was found dead on the second floor of a home hit by a landslide, Kyodo said.

Yamaguchi prefecture, another area hit by the heavy rain, alerted people to heed evacuation warnings and act quickly.

Kyoto prefecture said it was working to control flooding at several dams. About 250 people had to flee their homes and the prefecture identified one fatality as a 52-year old woman.

Roads were blocked in some areas and warnings 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 modernised of Asian nations, rural areas are hit hard by the rainy season each year, often resulting in casualties and heavy damage.
The death toll from heavy rains in Japan rises to 94, with over 50 people still reported missing.