Japan tells thousands to evacuate as ‘unprecedented’ rains trigger floods, landslides

Japanese authorities told tens of thousands of radical to evacuate the quake-hit portion of Ishikawa connected Saturday arsenic "unprecedented" rains triggered floods and landslides.

A twelve rivers successful the portion had burst their banks arsenic of 11 a.m. section clip (0200 GMT), onshore ministry authoritative Masaru Kojima said.

The cities of Wajima and Suzu, arsenic good arsenic Noto town, ordered astir 44,700 residents to evacuate, section officials said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said it issued its highest-level informing for Ishikawa, cautioning of a "life-threatening situation."

The areas nether the informing were seeing "heavy rainfall of unprecedented levels," JMA forecaster Satoshi Sugimoto told reporters, adding "it is simply a concern successful which you person to unafraid your information immediately."

At slightest 1 idiosyncratic was missing successful Wajima, portion galore buildings were inundated, with landslides blocking parts of roadways, the Ishikawa authorities said successful a statement.

Public broadcaster NHK aired video showing an full thoroughfare successful Wajima nether water.

Three rivers successful Ishikawa were overflowing into adjacent communities, a section authoritative told AFP earlier.

At slightest 1 location was deed by a landslide, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said, without giving further details.

Another 16,000 residents successful Niigata and Yamagata prefectures northbound of Ishikawa were besides told to evacuate, the bureau said.

Wajima and Suzu, successful cardinal Japan's Noto peninsula, were among the areas hardest deed by a immense New Year's Day earthquake that killed astatine slightest 236 people.

The portion is inactive reeling from the magnitude 7.5 quake that toppled buildings, ripped up roads and sparked a large fire.

Japan has seen unprecedented rainfall successful parts of the state successful caller years, with floods and landslides sometimes causing casualties.

Scientists accidental human-driven clime alteration is intensifying the hazard of dense rainfall successful the state and elsewhere due to the fact that a warmer ambiance holds much water.