TOKYO: The death toll from torrential rains and flooding that swept through Japan’s south has reached 25, the government said Tuesday, as rescue teams battled through thick mud to rescue more than 100 still stranded.

Further downpours were predicted to pound Kyushu after swathes of the southwestern island were devastated last week by overflowing rivers -- sweeping away roads, houses and schools and forcing thousands of people into makeshift shelters.

But many remain stranded, with emergency services struggling to reach them amid treacherous conditions.

Some 150 people were still cut off as of Monday evening in hardest-hit Fukuoka and Oita prefectures, according to local government officials.

A total of 25 people have died while at least 25 remain unaccounted for, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters Tuesday.

Some 12,000 rescuers were making “utmost” efforts to find survivors and clear washed up driftwood hampering the search, Suga said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cancelled a visit to Estonia that was originally planned as a last leg of his European tour, which included the G20 summit in Germany, to come back to Tokyo on Tuesday afternoon to deal with the disaster.

Abe will visit Fukuoka and Oita prefectures Wednesday to talk to staff at shelters and local government officials, Suga said.

More than 50 centimetres (20 inches) of rain deluged parts of Kyushu over just 12 hours last week, while rains have continued intermittently since.

Japan’s weather agency on Tuesday warned of continued heavy rains in Kyushu. -AFP</s>The death toll from torrential rains and flooding that swept through Japan’s south has reached 25, the government said yesterday, as rescue teams battled through thick mud to rescue more than 100 still stranded. Further downpours were predicted to pound Kyushu after swathes of the south-western island were devastated last week by overflowing rivers – sweeping away roads, houses and schools and forcing thousands of people into makeshift shelters. But many remain stranded, with emergency services struggling to reach them amid treacherous conditions. Some 150 people were still cut off as of Monday evening in hardest-hit Fukuoka and Oita prefectures, according to local government officials. More than 50cm of rain deluged parts of Kyushu over just 12 hours last week, while rains have continued intermittently since. Japan’s weather agency yesterday has warned of continued heavy rains in Kyushu.</s>The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in Japan's south has risen to 20, local media reported today, as rescue teams continued their search for survivors.

Swathes of Kyushu -- the southernmost of Japan's four main islands -- have been left devastated after overflowing rivers and torrential downpours swept away roads, houses and schools this week.

Thousands of people have been evacuated to makeshift shelters in school gyms and public buildings, but many remain stranded, with emergency services battling through thick mud and rain to try to reach them.

Some 250 people were still cut off by today, the Kyodo news agency said. Collapsed bridges and waterlogged ground on steep hillsides were hampering rescue efforts, according to media.

A total of 20 people have died while more than 20 remain unaccounted for in the Fukuoka and Oita prefectures, Kyodo reported.

The government was doing its "utmost" to recover those missing or stranded, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga earlier said in a rare weekend press conference.

Five people were in critical condition, Suga said, with the government still trying to ascertain if their injuries were a result of the severe weather.

Television footage showed rescue helicopters held up at a makeshift heliport -- unable to fly because of the downpours, while people prayed for the safety of their family members.

More than 50 centimetres of rain deluged parts of Kyushu in 12 hours on Wednesday, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to warn of possible significant damage.

Rains have continued intermittently since, with up to 22 centimetres recorded in Fukuoka in the past 72-hour period.

Japan's weather agency today warned of continued heavy rains and mudslides in northern Kyushu.</s>Three more bodies were found Wednesday in southwest Japan, potentially raising the death toll from last week’s heavy rains to 28, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the hardest-hit areas.

Two deaths have been confirmed, and a third body is still under investigation, Fukuoka prefecture’s Department of Disaster Management said. The confirmed deaths total 27 so far, 24 in Fukuoka and three in Oita.

Abe, who cut short a trip in Europe, inspected a collapsed railway bridge in Hita city in Oita prefecture and was also going to neighboring Fukuoka, where the latest deaths were confirmed.

Rains from Typhoon Nanmadol ravaged southern Japan last week. The worst-hit areas were in Fukuoka and Oita on Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island. Widespread flooding and landslides wrecked homes, roads and rice terraces. The disaster agency says about 13,000 people, mostly in Fukuoka, are still staying in shelters.

Abe had been visiting European leaders after attending the G-20 summit in Germany. He canceled a visit to Estonia, the last leg of his European trip, and returned to Japan one day earlier than planned. He returned Tuesday and held a meeting with relevant government ministers to discuss the destruction. During his visit, Abe met with victims at evacuation sites and talked with officials working in the disaster-hit areas.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>Japanese PM Abe vows to help victims of floods; death toll up to 25

A girl tries to remove mud from household goods at a house damaged by a heavy rain in Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan July 9, 2017. — Reuters pic TOKYO, July 12 — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this morning visited a region devastated by flooding over recent days and promised that the government would do everything possible to help rebuild.

Torrential rain that began a week ago set off landslides and sent rivers surging over their banks on the southwestern island of Kyushu, at one point forcing more than 400,000 people from their homes.

Twenty-five people were killed and 23 are still missing.

Abe, whose support has plunged to its lowest since he took office in 2012, cut short a European tour by a day because of the disaster and went to visit the region less than 24 hours after returning.

“I was able to talk with people in evacuation centres and hear their worries and troubles,” said Abe.

“The government will make every effort to rebuild so that people can resume their former lives without worries.”

About 11,000 soldiers, police and firefighters are combing through mud and piles of logs in the largely rural area, searching for the missing.

“We finally found my wife, and held her funeral yesterday,” one man, his chin dusted with stubble, told NHK public television.

“There’s nothing left of the house.”

Abe knelt down to talk to survivors sitting on the floor of the evacuation centre and he also inspected the site of a destroyed railway bridge.

One woman told media Abe had shaken her hand and commiserated with her about how tough things must be.

“We want him to work hard for Japan,” she said. — Reuters</s>ASAKURA, Japan (Reuters) - Japanese rescuers continued their search for victims of freak rains that have triggered floods and landslides in southwest Japan and left at least 18 people dead and hundreds of others displaced, public broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday.

About 1,900 policemen and soldiers, using heavy machinery, braved the rain and grappled with debris of driftwood and mud that have cut off roads and clogged flooded homes.

Authorities warned of more heavy rains later in the evening and potential landslides. The downpour has been caused by a low pressure over the Pacific that has sent warm, moist air into Japan's seasonal rainy front.

In Fukuoka and neighbouring Oita, the hardest hit areas, 18 people have been killed and 14 have been injured, while roughly 570 have been left in the state of isolation and more than 20 still unaccounted for, NHK said.

"Considering the feelings of those whose families are missing, I want to rescue as soon as possible," Kiyoharu Kawano of the Ground Self-Defense Force said.

"It's tough, it's tough," said an elderly man, who was pushing a wheelbarrow in the heavy rain, carrying mud out of an old wooden "ramen" noodle restaurant.

The city of Asakura was hit by more than 600 mm (24 inches) of rain since it started pouring on Wednesday, and Hita was pounded by nearly 450 mm of rain during the same period, the meteorological agency said, warning of yielding ground.

The meteorological agency said the rainy front was forecast to bring 120 mm of rain in the northern Kyushu region by Monday noon, and 100 mm of rain in the neighbouring Chugoku region, western Japan.</s>An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.2 hit the southern Japanese island of Kyushu on Tuesday, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The quake was centered just offshore from the city of Kagoshima, NHK public television said.

There were no irregularities at the nearby Sendai nuclear plant, where two reactors are in operation, Kyushu Electric Power Co said.

Japan is one of the world's most seismically active areas, accounting for about a fifth of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.

On March 11, 2011, the northeast coast was struck by a magnitude 9 earthquake, the strongest quake in Japan on record, and a massive tsunami. Those events triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl a quarter of a century earlier.</s>related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

3 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday (Jul 12) visited a region devastated by flooding over recent days and promised that the government would do everything possible to help rebuild.

Torrential rain that began a week ago set off landslides and sent rivers surging over their banks on the southwestern island of Kyushu, at one point forcing more than 400,000 people from their homes.

Twenty-five people were killed and 23 are still missing.

Abe, whose support has plunged to its lowest since he took office in 2012, cut short a European tour by a day because of the disaster and went to visit the region less than 24 hours after returning.

"I was able to talk with people in evacuation centres and hear their worries and troubles," said Abe.

"The government will make every effort to rebuild so that people can resume their former lives without worries."

About 11,000 soldiers, police and firefighters are combing through mud and piles of logs in the largely rural area, searching for the missing.

"We finally found my wife, and held her funeral yesterday," one man, his chin dusted with stubble, told NHK public television. "There's nothing left of the house."

Abe knelt down to talk to survivors sitting on the floor of the evacuation centre and he also inspected the site of a destroyed railway bridge.

One woman told media Abe had shaken her hand and commiserated with her about how tough things must be.

"We want him to work hard for Japan," she said.</s>Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday visited southern regions devastated by torrential rains and flooding that killed two dozen people as the toll was likely to rise.

Heavy seasonal rains last week caused severe flooding that tore up roads and destroyed houses on Japan's southernmost island of Kyushu, with hundreds of thousands of people forced to flee their homes.

At least 25 people have been confirmed dead while more than 20 were still missing on Wednesday.

A week after the disaster began, hundreds of people were still staying in school gymnasiums and public buildings used as makeshift shelters.

More than 10,000 rescuers, including soldiers, battled through thick mud with little hope of finding survivors.

Public broadcaster NHK showed footage of rescuers shoveling mud and removing washed up driftwood from what seemed to be roads and farm fields.

Abe, who cancelled a visit to Estonia that was originally planned as the last leg of a European tour, flew to the region to view the damage and console residents.

He was shown on television walking along a river bank near a broken bridge and visiting a shelter in Oita prefecture.

Clad in blue work clothing, Abe told evacuees in a shelter that the government was working to restore the region.

"I was once again reminded of the severe level of damage after seeing with my own eyes the sites hit by torrential rain and mudslides," Abe told Hirose, pledging that the central government will work "to improve conditions at evacuation centers and secure housing".</s>TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting areas of southwest Japan hard-hit by floods after he cut short his trip to Europe.

Abe arrived on Japan’s southernmost main island of Kyushu on Wednesday morning. He will go to the cities of Hita in Oita prefecture and Asakura and Toho in Fukuoka prefecture.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency has confirmed 25 deaths so far, 22 in Fukuoka and three in Oita, after heavy rain caused widespread flooding and landslides. One person remains missing.

The disaster agency says about 14,000 people, mostly in Fukuoka, are still staying in shelters following the destruction from Typhoon Nanmadol last week.

Abe had been visiting with European leaders after attending the G-20 summit in Germany.
The death toll from recent torrential rain and flooding in Kyushu in southern Japan rises to 25.