TOKYO, 26th July, 2024 (WAM) – Record heavy rain has forced the evacuation of thousands of people across parts of northern Japan and killed at least two people, as rivers burst their banks washing away bridges and cars.
Parts of northern Japan have been lashed by record rainfall, forcing thousands to evacuate and leaving 200,000 others on alert.
On the main island of Honshu, local reports say a rescuer is among the dead after the downpours in Yamagata and Akita prefectures.
Two other people, including another rescuer, are missing.
In Yamagata, where two rivers burst their banks, one police officer in his 20s who had been searching for a missing person was found "submerged" and later confirmed dead, a local police spokesman told AFP.
Two parts of Yamagata prefecture recorded the most rain in 24 hours since records began in 1976, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said on Friday.
Shinjo recorded 389 millimetres and Sakata 289mm.