The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a heavy rain emergency warning for Kagoshima and Kumamoto prefectures, which have been hit by record rainfall because of the seasonal rain front, on early Saturday morning, urging residents in those areas to take the best course of action to ensure their safety.
Citing, "an imminent risk to people's lives," the agency issued a level 5 warning, the highest level of alert, at 4:50 a.m. on Saturday.
According to the Kumamoto prefectural government and other sources, more than 10 people have remained unaccounted for in Ashikita and other places. Two people suffered cardiopulmonary arrest after a landslide occurred in Tsunagi. Flooding caused damage to areas around tha Kuma River, which runs through the southern part of the prefecture, including Hitoyoshi, Yatsushiro and Kuma.
The agency replaced the already issued emergency warning with a warning, saying peak rainfall in the two prefectures had passed, at 11:50 a.m. on Saturday.
Flooding was confirmed in at least 10 locations with two bridges having been washed away along the Kuma River between its upper and middle reaches, according to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry.
In Tsunagi, one person was unaccounted for, in addition to the two people suffering cardiopulmonary arrest. There was also a landslide in Nagashima, Kagoshima Prefecture.
The Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectural governments set up disaster response headquarters. Upon receiving a request from the Kumamoto prefectural government for disaster relief, the Ground Self-Defense Force has dispatched units to Ashikita and Kuma in the prefecture.
According to figures compiled by The Yomiuri Shimbun, 114,386 people from 51,399 households in the two prefectures were ordered to evacuate as of 9 a.m. So far, a total of 370 people have evacuated in Kumamoto, Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures.
According to the agency, the seasonal rain front may remain stationary and cause heavy rainfall mainly in western Japan. A total of 150 millimeters of rain is expected to fall in Kagoshima Prefecture within the 24-hour period through noon Sunday.
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