Rains in Japan kill one, 170,000 advised to evacuate

Heavy rains in western Japan left one person dead and at least three missing today as more than 170,000 people were advised to evacuate amid flood warnings.

Heavy rains in western Japan left one person dead and at least three missing on Wednesday as more than 170,000 people were advised to evacuate amid flood warnings.

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Several people were injured in landslides as areas in Kyushu island recorded more than 100 millimetres (about four inches) of rain in an hour.

The body of a 77-year-old woman was pulled out of a river in Hiroshima prefecture, a local police official said, adding that two others were missing. An 82-year-old man is also missing in neighbouring Shimane prefecture.

The downpours halted bullet trains for more than two hours, stranding 16,500 passengers, according to operator West Japan Railway Co. Local trains were also affected and expressways were temporarily closed.

Last year 25 people died in the same region after torrential rains triggered flash floods and landslides.