Torrential rain in Japan has triggered landslides and caused widespread flooding leaving one person dead and several missing.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued the highest level warning of heavy rain across several cities in the Ishikawa prefecture, including Suzu and Wajima on the northern coast of the Noto peninsula, an area still recovering from an earthquake on New Year’s Day.
Up to 20 centimeters of rainfall is still forecast in the region within the next 24 hours until midday Sunday.
Sugimoto Satoshi, a Japan Meteorological Agency official, said: “This level of downpours has never been experienced in this region before.
“Residents must secure their safety immediately. The risk to their lives is imminent.”
Officials in the city of Suzu said one person died and another was missing after being swept away in floodwaters.
Another went missing in the nearby town of Noto, according to the local authorities.
While in Wajima, four people were reported to be missing following a landslide at a construction site.
Japanese broadcaster NHK said they were among 60 construction workers repairing a tunnel damaged by January’s quake, adding one other was missing due to floods at a different location in the city.
Footage on the channel revealed a wooden house at a coastal area of Wajima in wrecked and tilted after it was apparently hit by a landslide from a steep hill, with muddy water still flowing down.
No injuries had been reported from the site.
Two people were reported to have been seriously injured when a landslide struck them while visiting their quake-damaged home in Noto town.
Heavy downpours have caused swollen rivers to overflow and flood homes, leaving residents stranded.
At least 16 rivers in Ishikawa had breached their banks by Saturday afternoon, according to the Land and Infrastructure Ministry.
Residents were urged to exercise extreme caution against possible mudslides and building damage.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said: “Heavy rain is hitting the region that had been badly damaged by the Noto earthquake, and I believe many people are feeling very uneasy.”
He said the government “puts people’s lives first” and its priority was search and rescue operations, with Self Defense Force troops dispatched to Ishikawa to join rescue efforts.
But he also called on the residents to pay close attention to the latest weather and evacuation advisories and take precautions early.
About 44,700 people have already been ordered to evacuate in Wajima and Suzu, as well as Noto town, according to authorities, with around 1,350 residents taking shelter at designated community centers, school gymnasiums and other town facilities by Saturday afternoon.
Heavy rain has also fallen in the nearby northern prefectures of Niigata and Yamagata, say officials, and a further 16,000 residents there have been told to evacuate.
Hokuriku Electric Power Co. said about 6,500 homes are without power.
Traffic lights were out in the affected areas, roads have been blocked and many homes are also without water supply.
East Japan Railway has suspended services on the Yamagata Shinkansen bullet train on Saturday and Sunday between Yamagata Station and Shinjo Station.
On 1 January this year, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the same region killing more than 370 people and damaging roads and other key infrastructure.
It’s impact is still being felt by residents and local industry as homes and businesses were destroyed.