Two dead and 4,000 evacuated in Japan after heavy rains

At least three people were missing in Japan on Friday after heavy rains caused rivers to overflow their banks, washing away cars and prompting several thousand residents to evacuate their homes, according to the authorities and local media.

Local authorities in Yamagata and Akita prefectures, in the north of the main island of Honshu, have issued evacuation notices for more than 200,000 people, the fire and disaster management agency said.

At least 4,000 people were evacuated to shelters, reported public broadcaster NHK. Two rivers in Yamagata and one in Akita burst their banks, according to NHK, which broadcast images showing raging brown waters that swept away several cars, including a police vehicle.

“Three people, including two policemen who had gone to look for a missing man, are missing,” a local official told AFP.

Japan's meteorological agency had issued its highest alert level this week for heavy rain in Yamagata. It then downgraded the alert by one notch on its five-notch scale.