Torrential rains in southern Japan caused widespread flooding and landslides on Saturday, with at least 15 people fearing death, as authorities warned 75,000 residents to evacuate.
Public broadcaster NHK said 15 people had been found without vital signs, including 14 in a nursing home. Nine other people were reported missing.
Japan has been hit by heavy typhoon flooding and other storms in recent years, with its mountainous terrain making it prone to landslides and flooding. Such storms have claimed hundreds of lives, and climatologists say the problem has been exacerbated by global warming.
This time, the overnight floods focused on Kagoshima and Kumamoto prefectures on the southern island of Kyushu. The two prefectures ordered the evacuation of 75,000 residents.
Authorities in Kumamoto said two lifeless bodies had been removed from landslides in the area and that another person was missing.
Kumamoto Governor Ikuo Kabashima said floods and mud had entered the nursing home, leaving scores stranded, NHK reported.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with aides to devise a response to the floods, and 10,000 members of the Japanese defense force were mobilized for the rescue efforts. The Kuma river in Kumamoto was flooded and one of its bridges was washed, NHK reported.
Kyushu Electric Power said that at least 8,000 homes were without electricity as a result of the floods.
While rains decreased in the afternoon and evening, forecasters say heavy rains could continue in the area mid-week.
