Rescue workers search for at least 6 people missing after Japan flooding

TOKYO — 

Rescue workers searched for astatine slightest six radical missing Sunday aft dense rainfall pounded Japan's northcentral portion of Noto, triggering landslides and floods and leaving 1 idiosyncratic dormant successful a portion inactive recovering from a deadly January 1 earthquake.

The Japan Meteorological Agency connected Saturday issued the highest alert level for dense rainfall crossed respective cities successful the Ishikawa prefecture, including hard-hit cities Suzu and Wajima connected the bluish seashore of the Noto peninsula.

The bureau has since downgraded the dense rainfall alert and kept landslide and flooding warnings successful place.

In Suzu, 1 idiosyncratic died and different was missing aft being swept successful floodwaters. Another went missing successful the adjacent municipality of Noto, according to the prefecture.

In Wajima, rescue workers were searching for 4 radical missing pursuing a landslide astatine a operation site. They were among 60 operation workers repairing a passageway damaged by January's quake.

The FDMA said different idiosyncratic was missing owed to floods astatine a antithetic determination successful the city.

NHK footage astatine a coastal country of Wajima showed a woody location torn and tilted aft it was seemingly deed by a landslide. No injuries were reported from the site.

In Noto town, 2 radical were earnestly injured by a landslide portion visiting their quake-damaged home.

At slightest 16 rivers successful Ishikawa breached their banks arsenic of Saturday afternoon, according to the Land and Infrastructure Ministry. Residents were urged to usage maximum caution against imaginable mudslides and gathering damage.

By precocious day Saturday, astir 1,350 residents were taking structure astatine designated assemblage centers, schoolhouse gymnasiums and different municipality facilities, authorities said.

About 50 centimeters of rainfall has fallen successful the portion implicit the past 3 days, owed to the rainbands that origin torrential rainfall supra the Hokuriku region, 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 Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi.

Hayashi said the authorities "puts people's lives first" and its precedence was hunt and rescue operations. He besides called connected the residents to wage adjacent attraction to the latest upwind and evacuation advisories and instrumentality precautions early, adding that the Self Defense Force troops person been dispatched to Ishikawa to articulation rescue efforts.

A nonmigratory successful Wajima told NHK that helium has conscionable finished cleaning his location from the quake harm and it was depressing to present spot it flooded by muddy water.

A fig of roads flooded by muddy h2o were besides blocked. Hokuriku Electric Power Co. said much than 5,000 homes were inactive without powerfulness Sunday. Traffic lights were retired successful the affected areas. Many homes were besides without h2o supply.

Heavy rainfall besides fell successful adjacent bluish prefectures of Niigata and Yamagata, threatening flooding and different damages and suspending bid operations, including the Yamagata Shinkansen slug trains, 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. Its aftermath inactive affects the section industry, system and regular lives.