Heavy rain continues in areas along Sea of Japan

TOKYO. KAZINFORM - Torrential rain continued Friday morning in central prefectures along the Sea of Japan, with the weather agency warning of landslides and floods in wider regions hit hard by downpours since the previous day, Kyodo reports.

Some areas in Fukui, Shiga and Shimane prefectures saw deluges with record hourly precipitation, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. Among them, Minamiechizen in the central prefecture of Fukui logged 74 millimeters of rain in one hour Friday morning.

Heavy rains have caused so far a total of 45 rivers in nine prefectures to overflow, including in Aomori and Akita in the northeast, the government said. Two people in Iwate and Yamagata prefectures have been missing since Thursday.

In Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture in central Japan, the Takatoki River overflowed, prompting the city government to order 6,000 residents living near it and another river that may also break its banks to take shelter, local officials said.

According to local officials, a total of three people were injured in Ishikawa and Niigata prefectures as of Friday morning.

On Thursday, roughly 540,000 residents were urged to evacuate at one point due to heavy rain centering on northeastern and central parts of the country.

In the 24 hours through 6 a.m. Saturday, up to 120 mm of rain is forecast for the Hokuriku region along the Sea of Japan and up to 100 mm in the Tokai region in central Japan.

Photo : english.kyodonews.net