New Delhi:
As many as 100 people killed and scores others were missing after devastating rains caused flooding and landslides in western Japan, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said on Monday.
More than a dozen people were missing and the search and rescue operations were underway to find them, the official said, according to PTI.
“87 people had been confirmed dead from the severe floods, with another 13 found with no vital signs. More than a dozen people are still missing,” PTI quoted Suga as saying.
Since Thursday, parts of western Japan have been receiving unprecedented rainfall. In the last four days, western Japan has received three times the usual rainfall for the whole month of July.
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Most of the deaths occurred in Hiroshima areas and the rescuers were searching through the mud for any survivors or the bodies of those killed.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that the rescuers were "working against time” and there were still many people missing and others in need of help.
Although the water levels in some parts were gradually receding, the weather office predicted more rains in isolated areas by Monday.
