Japan Floods: Record rainfall batters the country; brings deadly floods, landslides | Oneindia News

Japan has become the latest country to be hit by unusually heavy rain in recent days.

In the heaviest deluge ever in the country that has triggered floods and landslides in south-west Japan., 6 people have so far died and three others are missing.

The Japan meteorological agency has warned residents in Kyushu – one of the country’s four main islands – to stay alert for more landslides, a common hazard in mountainous areas after heavy rainfall.

However, the agency today has downgraded an earlier special warning for heavy rain, downgrading to lower-level warnings and advisories, covering more than 1.7 million people in northern parts of the island.

Nearly two million more in Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Saga, Yamaguchi and Oita were under a lower-level warning, urging them to evacuate if they are in hazardous areas.

The city of Kurume saw precipitation of 402.5mm in the 24 hours to 4pm on Monday – the highest ever recorded there .Officials in the city of Asakura said that they believed the rain had peaked, but warned there was still a risk of flooding.

Japan has a five-level evacuation order, but people cannot be compelled to leave their homes.

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