In Japan, heavy rains have flooded entire regions. Authorities said at least one person was killed and two were missing. More than a 1.4 million residents are being evacuated, Kyodo News reports.
A record amount of precipitation has been observed in Japan since August 13.
The country has declared a state of emergency in Hiroshima Prefecture, as well as in three prefectures in the Kyushu district, where a record rainfall was recorded. Due to heavy rains, rivers began to overflow there.
The downpours took place in the central part of the main island of Honshu.
The Meteorological Administration has warned Saga, Nagasaki, Fukuoka and Hiroshima prefectures to evacuate the highest possible evacuation. More than 1.4 million people live in them.
It also became known that at least one person was killed and two were missing. A 59-year-old woman died, and two went missing – her 67-year-old husband and their 32-year-old daughter.
The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned that the downpour is likely to continue for about a week.
Authorities in Hiroshima and the northern part of Kyushu issued their highest evacuation alert as the weather agency reported unprecedented levels of rain in the area on Saturday.
Under the non-compulsory alert, about 1.4 million residents have been asked to leave their homes immediately, public broadcaster NHK reported.
TV footage showed rescuers towing residents through submerged streets on a lifeboat in the city of Kurume in Fukuoka, while a muddy stream began to overflow in neighbouring Saga prefecture.
