Torrential rains in southern Japan cause flooding, mudslides and travel disruptions

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TOKYO (AP) — Downpours on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu caused flooding and mudslides on Monday, injuring a number of people and disrupting travel during a Buddhist holiday week. Evacuation advisories were issued and several people were reported missing.

A low-pressure system has been stuck over the region since last week, dumping torrential rain over the southern prefecture of Kagoshima and the island’s northern part. One woman who had been missing in Kagoshima since Friday was found dead on Sunday, while a man who went missing in Kumamoto on Monday was found without vital signs later in the day, although officials have not yet formally declared him dead.

The Japan Meteorological Agency early Monday issued the highest-level warning in the prefecture of Kumamoto, saying rainfall had exceeded 40 centimeters (15.7 inches) over 24 hours and more was expected through Tuesday afternoon. The agency later downgraded the alert for Kumamoto as the rain moved east toward the Tokyo region, but kept a lower-level warning for western Japan, where up to 20 centimeters (7.8 inches) of rainfall was expected by noon Tuesday.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said local authorities issued evacuation advisories to tens of thousands of people in Kumamoto and six other prefectures in the region. Defense troops were deployed to Kagoshima to provide fresh water to the residents in the affected areas, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said.

In Kumamoto, rescue workers were looking for missing people. A man went missing while three of his family members waited in a car to head to an evacuation center just as a mudslide hit. The people in the car were rescued, but the man was later found with no vital signs, according to prefecture officials.

At another location in Kumamoto, an elderly woman was found inside a vehicle that had fallen into a river, but her condition was unknown. Three others were reported missing after falling into swollen rivers, while a person buried underneath a mudslide was rescued alive.

Two people were also reported missing after falling into rivers in nearby Fukuoka prefecture.

In Kamiamakusa city, about 20 people stranded at a camping site and a couple of other residential areas are waiting for rescuers, NHK public television reported.

Television footage showed muddy water gushing down, carrying broken trees and branches, and residents wading through knee-deep floodwater. Some people were rescued on boats.

At a shopping arcade in Kagoshima City, shopowners started cleaning their stores when the rain stopped and floodwater subsided. Some of them told NHK that it may take a while before they can resume business because of damage to equipment and merchandise.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said his government was supporting search and rescue operations for the missing and helping others in affected areas. He urged residents “to use maximum caution," encouraging them to "please prioritize actions to save your lives.”

Heavy rain also impacted people traveling during Japan’s Buddhist “Bon” holiday week.

Bullet trains connecting Kagoshima and Hakata in northern Kyushu, as well as local train services, were suspended Monday morning. While trains partially resumed in Kyushu, services were starting to be affected further east on the island of Honshu as heavy rains headed that way.

About 6,000 households lost power in Kumamoto, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co., but nearly half got power back later Monday.