At least 49 people were killed and more than 47 were missing Saturday in southwestern Japan because of mudslides triggered by torrential downpours, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. The service also reported more than 1.6 million people were forced to flee their homes.
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said an additional 3.1 million residents were advised to evacuate.
As heavy downpours pounded western and central Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued warnings of “historic” rains, landslides and rising rivers for parts of the main island of Honshu.
The weather service said more than 58 centimeters of rain fell in Motoyama, a town on the southern Shikoku Island, in a 24-hour period ending Saturday morning.
The agency said the weather system was positioned between western and eastern Japan, and that heavy rains were expected to continue into Sunday.
About 48,000 firefighters, police officers and military forces responded to dozens of landslides and other emergency situations, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said another 21,000 troops were on stand-by.
Television footage showed a wooden bridge being swept away by a swollen river in Hiroshima and victims being airlifted into a helicopter from houses in a flooded area.
As residents sought refuge from the landslides, manufacturing giants like Mitsubishi and Mazda were forced to halt operations in some plants, as the flood disrupted supply chains and risked workers’ safety.
Saturday evening, a powerful earthquake struck south of the Japanese capital of Tokyo, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The 5.9-magnitude tremor caused some buildings in the city to shake, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
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