Flood Leaves 38 Dead, Dozens Missing in Japan

About 38 people have died and dozens missing following flooding and landslides in Japan. Landslides buried some of the victims alive, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reports. Hiroshima prefecture, which has been hit by torrential rain since Thursday, recorded the highest toll, with hundreds of homes damaged. Kyoto, about 300km to the east of Hiroshima, was also hit by downpours. In the town of Motoyama, about 600km (370 miles) west of the capital Tokyo, 583mm (23in) of rain fell between Friday morning and Saturday morning, Japan’s meteorological agency said. Authorities have ordered about 1.5 million people to vacate their homes, with other three million more admonished to do so. Search-and-rescue operations involving thousands of police, firefighters and soldiers are ongoing. The rain is not likely to abate; Local resident Manabu Takeshita told the Japan Times website: “Anybody living near the river has got to be nervous because typhoon season is just really starting.”