Over half a million people affected by floods in Japan

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Hundreds of thousands of people were asked to evacuate as torrential rains hits parts of Japan, local media reported on Wednesday.

Japan Meteorological Agency officials told Kyodo news agency that southwestern parts of Japan witnessed “unprecedented downpour" resulting in death of one person and evacuation of hundreds of thousands.

The agency issued maximum level-5 warning for floods and landslides in the region.

Local police said that a man was killed as his minicar was swept away by floodwaters in Kyushu.

Floodwaters have entered houses, inundated roads and open areas submerging properties and a number of vehicles in Saga province.

Kyodo reported that authorities in Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki provinces issued evacuation instructions to around 669,000 residents.

Many areas were hit by landslides while Matsuura River in Imari burst their banks in Saga.

Saga Governor Yoshinori Yamaguchi asked the federal government for deployment of the military for dispatching disaster relief.