Japan floods: Rescue efforts surge with 100 dead

Evacuation orders are in place for nearly two million people owing to the fatal flooding in Japan and landslide warnings have been issued in many prefectures.

Some 54,000 rescuers from the military, police and fire departments have been dispatched across a wide swathe of western and south-western Japan.

In the hard-hit west, emergency services and military personnel used helicopters and boats to rescue people from swollen rivers and buildings, including a hospital.

Some residents in Hiroshima prefecture said they were caught off guard by the torrential rain, which began recently. Rivers overflowed, turning towns into lakes and leaving dozens of people stranded on rooftops. In Hiroshima, water streamed through a residential area, strewn with fallen telephone poles, uprooted trees and mud.

Counting the casualties has been difficult because of the large size of the area affected by the rainfall, flooding and landslides. The Japanese government said 100 people were dead or presumed dead, while Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported floodwaters had forced several million people from their homes.

Another 58 people were missing, NHK said, with more rain set to hit some areas for at least another day. Authorities fear the toll will continue to rise as rescuers reach difficult-to-access areas.

“There are still many people missing and others in need of help, we are working against time,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. “The rescue teams are doing their utmost.”