Japan yesterday ordered the evacuation of thousands of residents from the outskirts of its ancient capital, Kyoto, after “historic” rains battered its western region, killing a man, with yet more rain forecast.
About 160,000 people were advised to evacuate across the region as weather officials warned that rain levels they described as “historic” could continue until Sunday.
“Severe caution is needed,” a Japan Meteorological Agency official told a news conference, warning of the potential for landslides and high winds.
A 59-year-old construction worker died in western Hyogo Prefecture after being sucked into a drainage pipe and two more were injured as they rushed to his rescue, Japan Broadcasting Corp said.
Evacuation orders went out in some outlying parts of Kyoto, with Kyodo News saying that about 16,000 people were affected.
TV stations broadcast images of the swollen waters of the Kamo River in the city center.
The heavy rains were brought by a rush of humid air from the south and the remnants of a typhoon this week.
By yesterday afternoon, about 45.7cm of rainfall had been recorded in some parts of the smallest main island of Shikoku over the past two days, with up to 40cm more predicted in some areas in the next 24 hours.
Typhoon Prapiroon churned up the Sea of Japan this week before weakening into a tropical depression.
Another storm, Typhoon Maria, has formed in the Pacific and is set to strengthen, possibly targeting the southwestern islands of Okinawa early next week.
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