Japan floods: 400,000 forced to evacuate
Local residents stand on grassland as they look out towards greenhouses submerged by floodwaters in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, on July 14, 2012. About 400,000 people were ordered or advised to leave their homes in southwest Japan as heavy rain pounded the area for a third day leaving 29 dead or missing, officials and media said.
Severe flooding in Japan has forced the evacuation of some 400,000 people today, Agence-France Press cited local officials as saying.
The country's meteorological agency today warned that more landslides and flooding is expected to hit the deluged island of Kyushu, where severe weather has killed up to 20 people in the last several days, said BBC News.
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Rain pounded the southern island today, with over four inches of water coming down per hour, according to the weather unit, said SAPA news agency. At least nine people have gone missing, according to AFP.
Weather officials told AFP that over 30 inches of rain hit the southern city of Aso in the last three days.
Hundreds of thousands of people on the island and the surrounding southern provinces have been advised to leave the region or go to storm shelters, said BBC.
The nation has deployed self-defense units to the area to assist with recovery efforts.
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