Heavy rain in south Japan causes flood, mudslides; 4 injured

Rainfall, flooding prompts evacuation in Japan Concerns over torrential rainfall prompted Japanese authorities to order the evacuation of more than one million people on Wednesday.

TOKYO -- Heavy rain caused flooding and mudslides in southern Japan, injuring four people, damaging dozens of homes and leaving hundreds of others without power.

One person was missing and possibly was buried under the same mudslide where one person had been confirmed dead earlier, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters Thursday. The casualties occurred in the hardest-hit southern prefecture of Kagoshima.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to "do our best for rescue and lifesaving activities."

Nearly 80 houses were damaged in Kagoshima and the two other southern prefectures of Miyazaki and Kumamoto. About 1,700 houses were without power.

Videos filmed by residents were circulated on social media showing a river in Kagoshima swollen with muddy, brown water threatening to overrun its banks.

Kagoshima Gov. Satoshi Mitazono requested the help of military personnel in the rescue effort. About 14,000 troops were on standby for emergency requests.

Rainfall since the weekend has exceeded 1 metre (yard) in areas, he said, and cautioned residents against landslide risks and urged them to stay up to date with weather reports.

Landslide warnings remained in effect for Kagoshima, Miyazaki and Kumamoto prefectures.

More than 1 million residents had been advised to evacuate to shelters due to the dangers.