Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said an additional 3.1 million residents were advised to evacuate.
TOKYO: More than 60 people are dead and 4 dozens missing after record rainfall caused rivers to burst their banks in Hiroshima and other areas.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued warnings of “historic” rains, landslides and rising rivers for parts of the main island of Honshu.
The agency said the weather system was positioned between western and eastern Japan, and that heavy rains were expected to continue into Sunday.
“Rescue efforts are a battle with time,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. “The rescue teams are doing their utmost.”
About 48,000 firefighters, police officers and military forces responded to dozens of landslides and other emergency situations.
The disaster is the deadliest rain-related crisis in Japan since 2014, when at least 74 people were killed in landslides caused by torrential downpours in the Hiroshima region.
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.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued special weather warnings across four prefectures in the west of Japan’s main island of Honshu, urging vigilance against landslides, rising rivers and strong wind.
