TWO PEOPLE HAVE been killed following heavy rains in southwest Japan, prompting flood and landslide warnings and orders for 670,000 people to seek safety.

Nearly a million more people were advised to leave their homes after the country’s weather agency raised the alert to its highest level for parts of northern Kyushu.

The emergency warning is issued “if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes”.

Officials confirmed the two deaths, one of which occurred in the western Saga prefecture, where a man was found in a car that had been swept away.

A second man died in Fukuoka as he tried to escape from a car trapped in rising floodwaters.

Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said that a third person, also in Saga, was in a state of “cardiorespiratory arrest” – a term usually employed by Japanese officials to indicate a person’s death before it has been officially confirmed by a doctor.

“There are many reports of damage in different areas due to flooding of rivers, landslides, and submerged houses, and there is a possibility of serious damage occurring in the coming hours,” Suga added.

The fire and disaster management agency said it had already received multiple reports of flooded houses in Saga and Nagasaki.

“We are seeing unprecedented levels of heavy rains in cities where we issued special warnings,” a spokesman for the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters.

“It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives,” weather agency official Yasushi Kajiwara said.

Television footage showed rivers swollen by the rain and parked cars sitting in muddy brown water nearly up to the vehicles’ roofs.

Small landslides have already been reported.

Japanese authorities regularly urge people to take evacuation orders seriously, particularly after heavy rains last summer in the west of the country killed more than 200 people.

Many of the deaths were blamed on the fact that evacuation orders were issued too late and some people failed to follow them.

Entire neighbourhoods were buried beneath landslides or submerged in floodwaters during the disasters. </s> Two people were confirmed dead on Wednesday as heavy rains pounded southwest Japan, prompting flood and landslide warnings, and orders for 670,000 people to seek safety.

Nearly a million more people were advised to leave their homes after the country’s weather agency raised the alert to its highest level for parts of northern Kyushu.

The emergency warning is issued “if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes”.

Officials confirmed two deaths, one in western Saga prefecture where a man was found in a car that had been swept away. A second man died in Fukuoka as he tried to escape from a car trapped in rising floodwaters.

Government spokesperson Yoshihide Suga said a third person, in Saga, was in a state of “cardiorespiratory arrest” — a term usually used by Japanese officials to indicate a person’s death before it is officially confirmed by a doctor.

“There are many reports of damage in different areas due to flooding of rivers, landslides, and submerged houses, and there is a possibility of serious damage occurring in the coming hours,” Suga added.

Evacuation orders and advisories issued by local authorities are not mandatory, although officials urge residents to heed them.

The fire and disaster management agency said it had already received multiple reports of flooded houses in Saga and Nagasaki prefectures.

“We are seeing unprecedented levels of heavy rains in cities where we issued special warnings,” a spokesman for the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters.

“It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives,” weather agency official Yasushi Kajiwara said.

He also urged those living in areas currently under evacuation advisories to act quickly.

The JMA’s emergency warnings affect areas in Saga, Fukuoka and Nagasaki, where the severe weather has also disrupted transport, forcing the suspension of some train services and some road closures.

Television footage showed rivers swollen by the rain and parked cars sitting in muddy brown water nearly up to the vehicles’ roofs.

Small landslides have already been reported.

At a station in Saga, stranded passengers sat on benches with water around their ankles.

Japanese authorities regularly urge people to take evacuation orders seriously, particularly after disastrous heavy rains last summer in Japan’s west killed more than 200 people.

Many of the deaths were blamed on the fact that evacuation orders were issued too late and some people failed to follow them. Entire neighbourhoods were buried beneath landslides or submerged in floodwaters during the disasters.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android. </s> Two people were confirmed dead on Wednesday as heavy rains pounded southwest Japan, prompting flood and landslide warnings and orders for 870,000 people to seek safety.

More than a million more people were advised to leave their homes after the country's weather agency raised the alert to its highest level for parts of northern Kyushu.

The emergency warning is issued "if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes".

Officials confirmed two deaths, one in western Saga prefecture where a man was found in a car that had been swept away. A second man died in Fukuoka as he tried to escape from a car trapped in rising floodwaters.

Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said a third person, in Saga, was in a state of "cardiorespiratory arrest" - a term usually employed by Japanese officials to indicate a person's death before it is officially confirmed by a doctor.

"There are many reports of damage in different areas due to flooding of rivers, landslides, and submerged houses, and there is a possibility of serious damage occurring in the coming hours," Suga added.

Evacuation orders and advisories issued by local authorities are not mandatory, although officials urge residents to heed them.

For those leaving after such warnings, government shelters are available, and some choose to stay with friends and family as well.

The fire and disaster management agency said it had already received multiple reports of flooded houses in Saga and Nagasaki prefectures.

"We are seeing unprecedented levels of heavy rains in cities where we issued special warnings," a spokesman for the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters.

"It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives," weather agency official Yasushi Kajiwara said.

He also urged those living in areas currently under evacuation advisories to act quickly.

The weather agency issued its highest warning for heavy rain early morning, before downgrading it mid-afternoon.

Still, the agency said heavy rain was likely to continue in western Japan, with high risks of landslides and flooding. </s> Image copyright EPA Image caption Roads in the city of Saga were flooded due to the heavy rain

Three people are reported to have died as heavy rains pound south-western Japan

Authorities have asked almost one million people to evacuate, warning "unprecedented" levels of rain fall could cause the flooding of rivers, trigger landslides and submerge houses.

"It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives," the weather agency said.

Japan's southern island of Kyushu has seen weeks of heavy winds and rain.

Authorities there had initially issued a level five warning - the highest - and advised more than 800,000 people to leave their homes.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption In Takeo, Saga prefecture, roads, houses and cars were flooded

Two people are reported to have been drowned in their cars while another man was swept away while escaping from his trapped car.

"We are seeing unprecedented levels of heavy rains in cities where we issued special warnings," Yasushi Kajiwara of the Japan Meteorological Agency had warned.

Later on Wednesday, the flood warning was downgraded but meteorologists said the danger was not over, and torrential rain may hit the same areas later in the day.

Evacuation orders and advisories are not mandatory yet authorities urge people to heed them and seek safety.

The rain affected the prefectures of Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki.

Earlier this summer, Kyushu had already been hit by heavy rain, leading to evacuation advisories for more than one million people.

Last July about 200 people died in western Japan in the country's worst flooding disaster in decades.

It was the highest death toll caused by rainfall in Japan since 1982. </s> Almost 800,000 people across three Japanese cities have been ordered to evacuate amid warnings of landslides and floods brought by heavy rain.

The authorities in Kagoshima City, Kirishima and Aira have urged their residents to move to safety immediately.

One elderly woman in Kagoshima City died after a mudslide hit her home.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told residents of the cities to “take steps to protect their lives”.

Kagoshima prefecture has asked Japan’s Self-Defence Forces to help with the relief efforts.

About 310,000 residents in the neighbouring Miyazaki prefecture have also been advised to evacuate.

Weather officials say 39 inches of rain have fallen on Kyushu Island since last Friday, and Japan’s Meteorological Agency forecasts the rains will continue into next week.

More rain is expected in the southern part of the island by midday tomorrow, with some areas predicted to get heavy rains every hour.

Last July about 200 people died in western Japan in the country’s worst flooding disaster in decades. It was the highest death toll caused by rainfall in Japan since 1982.

About two million people were evacuated and more than 70,000 emergency workers were deployed after the heavy rain caused floods and landslides in the region. </s> Two dead as Japan orders 670,000 to flee heavy rains

TOKYO: Two people were confirmed dead on Wednesday as heavy rains pounded southwest Japan, prompting flood and landslide warnings and orders for 670,000 people to seek safety.

Nearly a million more people were advised to leave their homes after the country's weather agency raised the alert to its highest level for parts of northern Kyushu.

The emergency warning is issued "if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes".

Officials confirmed two deaths, one in western Saga prefecture where a man was found in a car that had been swept away. A second man died in Fukuoka as he tried to escape from a car trapped in rising floodwaters.

Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said a third person, in Saga, was in a state of "cardiorespiratory arrest" -- a term usually employed by Japanese officials to indicate a person's death before it is officially confirmed by a doctor.

"There are many reports of damage in different areas due to flooding of rivers, landslides, and submerged houses, and there is a possibility of serious damage occurring in the coming hours," Suga added.

Evacuation orders and advisories issued by local authorities are not mandatory, although officials urge residents to heed them.

For those leaving after such warnings, government shelters are available, and some choose to stay with friends and family as well.

The fire and disaster management agency said it had already received multiple reports of flooded houses in Saga and Nagasaki prefectures.

"We are seeing unprecedented levels of heavy rains in cities where we issued special warnings," a spokesman for the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters.

"It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives," weather agency official Yasushi Kajiwara said.

He also urged those living in areas currently under evacuation advisories to act quickly.

In Saga, a mother wearing a life vest in a rescue boat told public broadcaster NHK she had been saved from the floodwaters.

"I was so scared as I have a little child. I'm worried there could be worse damage because there's an ongoing power outage," she said.

Elsewhere, a man in a shelter in Saga said he was sleeping as the floodwater entered his home.

"When I woke up, water surged to my feet," he told NHK. "I've never seen anything like this. It's important to evacuate early."

The JMA's emergency warnings affect areas in Saga, Fukuoka and Nagasaki, where the severe weather has also disrupted transport, forcing the suspension of some train services and some road closures.

Television footage showed rivers swollen by the rain and parked cars sitting in muddy brown water nearly up to the vehicles' roofs.

Small landslides have already been reported.

At a station in Saga, stranded passengers sat on benches with water around their ankles.

A woman living near an overflowing river said she had been woken by the sound of heavy rain and a warning alarm on her phone indicating a disaster alert.

"This is very rare. Rice fields and other places are flooded. It's like a sea," she told NHK.

Japanese authorities regularly urge people to take evacuation orders seriously, particularly after disastrous heavy rains last summer in Japan's west killed more than 200 people.

Many of the deaths were blamed on the fact that evacuation orders were issued too late and some people failed to follow them. Entire neighbourhoods were buried beneath landslides or submerged in floodwaters during the disasters. </s> Japanese authorities on Wednesday issued a rare evacuation order for 240,000 people in the country's southwest over flood and landslide fears, as officials confirmed a man was killed in heavy rains.

The evacuation orders came after the Japan Meteorological Agency issued its highest-level alert for several parts of the northern Kyushu region.

The alert is issued "if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes" and is activated once a disaster is declared, ordering people to take measures to protect their lives.

Nearly a million more people are under a lower-level evacuation advisory over the heavy rains.

Evacuation orders and advisories are issued by local authorities but are not mandatory even though officials urge residents to heed them.

The fire and disaster management agency said it had already received multiple reports of houses flooded in Saga prefecture and officials were working to confirm details of the damage.

"We are seeing unprecedented levels of heavy rains in cities where we issued special warnings," the Japan Meteorological Agency added in a hastily organised press conference Wednesday morning.

"It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives," weather agency official Yasushi Kajiwara said.

He also urged those currently facing evacuation advisories to act before the warning was upgraded further.

"Please don't wait," he said.

The JMA's emergency warnings affect areas in Saga, Fukuoka and Nagasaki in northern Kyushu, where the rains have already killed one person.

A Saga official confirmed to AFP a man was found dead in his car on Wednesday after being swept away by floodwaters.

The severe weather has also disrupted transport, with train services partially suspended in parts of northern Kyushu and some roads closed.

Footage on local television showed rivers swollen by rainwater and parked cars surrounded by muddy brown water rising nearly up to the vehicles' roofs.

In some parts of the affected area, small landslides have already been reported.

Inside Saga station, stranded passengers were sat on benches with water around their ankles.

Japanese authorities regularly urge people to take evacuation orders seriously, particularly after disastrous heavy rains last summer in Japan's west killed more than 200 people.

Many of the deaths were blamed on the fact that evacuation orders were issued too late and some people failed to follow them. Entire neighbourhoods were buried beneath landslides or submerged in floodwaters during the disasters.

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Subscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, trading recommendations, equity analysis, investment ideas, insights from market gurus and much more. Get Moneycontrol PRO for 1 year at price of 3 months. Use code FREEDOM. </s> Torrential rains have triggered floods and landslides in southwest Japan, killing at least two people and prompting authorities to order more than 900,000 people to leave their homes, while another million were advised to move to safety, reports said.

The country's weather agency raised the alert to its highest level on Wednesday for parts of the southern island of Kyushu, the third largest of Japan's five main islands.

The emergency warning is issued "if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes".

Officials confirmed two deaths to the AFP news agency, one in western Saga prefecture where a man was found in a car that had been swept away.

A second man died in Fukuoka as he tried to escape from a car trapped in rising floodwaters.

More than twice the usual rainfall for the whole of August has fallen over parts of Kyushu over the past 48 hours, washing away roads, causing rivers to burst their banks and forcing the suspension of train services.

Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said a third person in Saga was in a state of "cardiorespiratory arrest".

"There are many reports of damage in different areas due to flooding of rivers, landslides and submerged houses, and there is a possibility of serious damage occurring in the coming hours," Suga added.

Weather agency official Yasushi Kajiwara said the areas issued special warnings were experiencing "unprecedented levels of heavy rains".

"It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives," he said.

Kajiwara also urged those living in areas currently under evacuation advisories to act quickly. "Please don't wait," he warned.

More than 900,000 people were ordered to evacuate, national broadcaster NHK said, while Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said just over a million others were advised to leave their homes.

The agency said it received multiple reports of flooded houses in Saga and Nagasaki prefectures.

Evacuation orders and advisories issued by local authorities are not mandatory, although officials urge residents to heed them.

The Ground Self Defense Force - Japan's military - said it had deployed about 100 troops for disaster relief after a request from Saga prefecture. Public transport and businesses were affected.

At least 155 people died in July last year when torrential rains swept across western Japan, including the prefectures of Hiroshima and Okayama, in the worst flood-related disaster in three decades. </s> Almost 800,000 people across three Japanese cities have been ordered to evacuate amid warnings of landslides and floods brought by heavy rain.

Kagoshima city, Kirishima and Aira, in Kagoshima prefecture on Kyushu island, urged their residents to move to safety immediately.

One elderly woman in Kagoshima city died after a mudslide hit her home.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told residents of the cities to "take steps to protect their lives".

About 310,000 residents in the neighbouring Miyazaki prefecture have also been advised to evacuate.

Weather officials say 1,000mm (39in) of rain has fallen on Kyushu island since Friday.

Last July about 200 people died in western Japan in the country's worst flooding disaster in decades.

It was the highest death toll caused by rainfall in Japan since 1982.
Three people are killed amidst heavy rains in southwestern Japan. Authorities ask almost one million people to evacuate, warning "unprecedented" levels of rainfall could cause the flooding of rivers, trigger landslides, and submerge houses.