Global Courant
TOKYO – Torrential rain triggered landslides that killed at least one person. Authorities ordered tens of thousands of people to leave their homes on the southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu on Monday.
A woman in her 70s was killed when a landslide hit her home in Fukuoka prefecture, public broadcaster NHK said.
Another three people were missing after a landslide hit two homes in Saga prefecture, NHK said.
The highest-level heavy rain warning was issued in parts of Fukuoka and Oita prefectures.
According to Satoshi Sugimoto, director of the Japan Meteorological Agency’s forecasting department, up to 200 mm of extra rain is expected in northern Kyushu until Tuesday morning.
“The rain is getting as heavy as never before,” the official said.
Shinkansen bullet train service between Hiroshima and Fukuoka stations in Hakata was suspended. REUTERS
