20 people missing after landslide in Japan

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - Twenty people remain unaccounted for after landslides swept away houses in southwest of Japan's capital Tokyo on Saturday, according to public broadcaster NHK.

Amid torrential rains along the country's Pacific coast since the early hours of the day, officials in Atami city of Shizuoka Prefecture issued the highest-level evacuation order to around 20,000 households, urging them to seek safety immediately.

Police and firefighters are conducting search and rescue operations in the area.

The downpours are due to a lingering seasonal rain front, according to the country's meteorological agency.