Japan: 1 dead, over 2,000 evacuated as heavy rains lashes Akita Prefecture 

Tokyo [Japan], July 16 (ANI): Amid the heavy rains, a man died and more than 2000 people were evacuated as heavy rains pounded Akita Prefecture in northeastern Japan over the weekend, reported Kyodo News Agency.

According to rescue workers, the man was found in a flooded car on farmland in Gojome at around 7:10 a.m. on Sunday and was later confirmed dead.
According to Kyodo News Agency, around 2,100 people stayed at 77 evacuation centres in Akita as of 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Following the landslides, the Ground Self-Defense Force was called in to provide disaster relief after landslides hampered water supply in some areas, the prefectural government said Kyodo News Agency reported.

However, the Japan Meteorological Agency continued to call for vigilance, warning of landslides, rising river levels and flooding in the region.

A city assembly member also died in Toyama Prefecture last week when the rains hit regions facing the Sea of Japan causing mudslides, according to Kyodo News Agency.

Moreover, Ishikawa Prefecture logged a record 6-hour rainfall total of 199 millimetres during the night in Kahoku, while Toyama Prefecture registered a downpour of 170.5 mm in Kamiichi, another record high.

Earlier on Thursday, a house was found destroyed nearby. Mudslides also cut off roads in neighbouring Oyabe, leaving 41 households and their 101 total residents isolated, according to the police, reported Kyodo News Agency.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has alerted residents to be wary of mudslides, flooding in low-lying areas, and rivers bursting their banks. (ANI)