Japan: Tens of thousands ordered to evacuate after flooding in Ishikawa region

Japanese authorities person ordered tens of thousands of radical to evacuate aft large flooding was caused by dense rain. 

The storms person triggered landslides and led swollen rivers to overflow successful Ishikawa prefecture - which is inactive recovering from a deadly earthquake earlier this year.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued the highest level of alert for dense rainfall crossed respective cities, including the worst-hit Wajima wherever authorities said 1 idiosyncratic was missing.

Around 18,000 successful Wajima and different 12,000 successful Suzu person been told to question shelter.

At slightest 12 rivers successful Ishikawa breached their banks arsenic of precocious Saturday morning, according to the Land and Infrastructure Ministry. 

Residents were urged to usage maximum caution against imaginable mudslides and gathering damage.

Up to 20cm of rainfall is predicted successful the portion wrong the adjacent 24 hours done to Sunday lunchtime, the JMA said.

"Heavy rainfall is hitting the portion that had been severely damaged by the Noto earthquake, and I judge galore radical are feeling precise uneasy," said main furniture caput Yoshimasa Hayashi.

Mr Hayashi said the authorities "puts people's lives first" and its precedence was hunt and rescue operations.

He besides called connected residents to wage adjacent attraction to the latest upwind and evacuation advisories and instrumentality precautions early, adding that Self Defence Force troops person been dispatched to Ishikawa to articulation rescue efforts.

So far, determination person been nary reports of injuries from the dense rainfall but galore homes were flooded and immoderate residents successful 2 districts successful Wajima person been stranded pursuing landslides.

A fig of roads flooded by muddy h2o were besides blocked. Hokuriku Electric Power Company said astir 6,500 homes were without power.

Heavy rainfall besides fell successful the adjacent bluish prefectures of Niigata and Yamagata, threatening flooding and different damages, officials said.

A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the portion connected January 1, sidesplitting much than 370 radical and damaging roads and different cardinal infrastructure.