Japan hit by torrential floods as 400,000 people are forced to leave their homes

[nitpicker]

http://www.dw.com/en/japan-hit-by-torrential-floods-as-400000-people-are-forced-to-leave-their-homes/a-39564657

06.07.2017
Japan hit by torrential floods as 400,000 people are forced to leave their homes

Fifteen people are reported missing after huge floods swept away houses and tore up roads in southern Japan. Officials have warned that worse is to come as rescuers scramble to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people.

Officials from Japan's Meteorological Agency on Thursday warned of further landslides and overflowing rivers in the coming days, as the southern island of Kyushu country was expected to continue being hit by some of the worst downpours on record.
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At least 15 people, including a child, have already been reported missing, while 400,000 people have been evacuated to special centers set up in schools and government buildings located on high enough ground.
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More than 50 centimeters (20 inches) of rain submerged parts of Kyushu in the space of just 12 hours. Kyushu's rural prefectures of Fukuoka and Oita were among the worst hit areas. Television footage showed waves of flood waters sweeping through rural villages, tearing through houses and ripping up roads. While there were no initial reports of transport problems, footage showed rail lines left broken and twisted by the flood waters.

With more heavy rain forecast for Friday, some 7,500 rescuers from Japan's military and emergency services are scrambling to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people who remain trapped in the worst affected areas of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island. However, authorities indicated that the number of missing - and ultimately the potential death toll - could rise. An official from the region's disaster response team said they had received "many, many calls" from people in distress over missing friends and relatives.
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