TOKYO — Thousands of residents were ordered to leave their homes in central and northeastern Japan on Tuesday as torrential rains pounded the country. Local authorities issued an evacuation order to about 4,300 people in the town of Tadami in Fukushima prefecture, 270 kilometers north of Tokyo, warning of landslides and swollen rivers. More than 1,400 residents were also ordered to leave their homes in the nearby city of Gosen in Niigata prefecture as local authorities were concerned about flooding. The Japan Meteorological Agency on Tuesday warned of flooding, mudslides and more heavy rain in the prefectures of Niigata, Fukushima, Yamagata and Miyagi. In early July, heavy rain inundated rivers and residential areas and triggered mudslides on the southern island of Kyushu, leaving at least 34 people dead and seven unaccounted for.

Source: The China Post July 18, 2017 05:48 UTC