TOKYO: Record heavy rain forced the evacuation of thousands of people across parts of northern Japan as rivers burst their banks washing away bridges and cars, officials and media reports said Friday (Jul 26).
At least one person was killed and four missing after the downpours in Yamagata and Akita prefectures on the main island of Honshu.
A man in his 60s was missing after a landslide at roadworks in Yuzawa City, while an 86-year-old man was unaccounted for after last being seen on a river bank in Akita City, police told AFP.
One body was found in Akita City, media reports said.
A local official told AFP in Yamagata, where two rivers burst their banks, that “three people, including two police officers who were on a mission searching for a missing man, are unaccounted for”.
