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Up to 36 feared dead in severe flooding in Japan

A collapsed house following a landslide caused by torrential rain in Ashikita, Kumamoto prefecture - STR/AFP
A collapsed house following a landslide caused by torrential rain in Ashikita, Kumamoto prefecture - STR/AFP

The death toll from floods and landslides unleashed by torrential rains on Japan's southern island of Kyushu rose to 20 on Sunday, with 16 people missing, NHK public TV said.

More heavy rain is forecast after Saturday's deadly deluge in the Kumamoto prefecture, Japan's worst natural disaster since Typhoon Hagibis in October last year left about 90 people dead.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a meeting of Japan's disaster response task force to step up the search and rescue operations.

A huge wall of water slams into Jiyuan. The colour combination of yellow and white due to different sand content -  SplashNews.com/Splash News
A huge wall of water slams into Jiyuan. The colour combination of yellow and white due to different sand content - SplashNews.com/Splash News

"Nothing is more important than human lives. Please make utmost effort through the night to search for missing people," Abe said after Japanese television broadcast images of overturned cars, people shovelling mud from their homes and the military rescuing stranded residents in boats.

"We had no electricity and no running water," one rescued woman told the broadcaster. "It was tough."

TV footage also showed a gymnasium-turned-evacuation centre equipped with face masks, disinfectants and thermometers to prevent coronavirus infections.

A street covered by Debris in a flood-affected area following torrential rain in Hitoyoshi - STR/AFP
A street covered by Debris in a flood-affected area following torrential rain in Hitoyoshi - STR/AFP

In one of hardest-hit areas, residents spelled the words "rice, water, SOS" on the ground, while others waved towels and called for rescue and relief goods.

At a nursing home for the elderly, 14 people were feared dead when water from a nearby river inundated the ground floor, leaving those in wheelchairs unable to reach higher ground.

The Japan Meteorological Agency urged people to stay vigilant, as more rains are predicted.

"From this evening on, extremely heavy rains with thunder are expected in southern as well as northern Kyushu," an agency official told Reuters.

"The rainfall so far has already loosened the ground. There is a high chance of landslides occurring, even without much additional rain."