One person dies, two missing after heavy rain in Japan

Tokyo [Japan], July 1 : Record-breaking rainfall pelted sections of western Japan and the southwestern Kyushu region, leaving one person dead and two others missing, according to local officials and the weather agency, Kyodo News reported.
As a result of the seasonal rain, the Japan Meteorological Agency has issued warnings for mudslides, floods in low-lying areas, and river overflow in regions from western to eastern Japan.
A man found inside a washed-away car in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, was later declared dead, while a mudslide in Oita Prefecture, southwest Japan, swept away a house, with rescuers still attempting to reach the 70-year-old male inhabitant, according to local authorities, according to Kyodo News.
Kyodo News is a news agency based in Minato, Tokyo.
According to the weather agency, areas around Chikujo in Fukuoka Prefecture in southwestern Japan received torrential rain early on Saturday that was falling at a rate of about 110 millimetres per hour.
In several areas of the prefectures of Yamaguchi and Fukuoka, hourly rainfall records were reported.
According to local authorities, seven cars were discovered stranded in Mine, Yamaguchi Prefecture, because of the intense rain, and one of the drivers was missing.
According to the bureau, 385 mm of rain fell in Yufu in Oita Prefecture in one day, setting a record for July.
According to West Japan Railway Co., Sanyo Shinkansen services between Hiroshima and Hakata stations have been temporarily discontinued, Kyodo News reported.