Six people dead, two missing in Japan after torrential downpours

Six people are dead and two are missing after torrential downpours in Japan's central Ishikawa Prefecture that have caused rivers to flood and mudslides across the Noto region, Report informs referring to NHK.

Local police and fire departments said 10 people were rescued near a tunnel in Wajima City. Two were later confirmed dead. Reconstruction was underway near the tunnel due to damage stemming from the New Year's Day earthquake. A landslide hit the location on Saturday.

In Wajima, two women were found dead in area where landslides struck. A man who was pulled from a river was also confirmed dead.

Officials say one person was confirmed dead in Suzu City after a home was engulfed by a landslide.

Two others are missing after being swept away by rivers in Noto Town and Suzu City.

Meanwhile, police and fire department officials say four residents in Wajima are unaccounted for after their houses located along rivers were swept away.

The four are possibly included in the eight people whose whereabouts remain unknown. Ishikawa Prefecture has announced their names in Wajima and Suzu Cities.

Many rivers have overflowed their banks, causing flooding in the ground floor of some houses.

A local father is hoping his child will soon be found. His daughter was home alone when the disaster struck. He said: "My only wish is for her to be found, even if she is not alive. I want to hug her."

Wajima suffered major damage in the January 1st earthquake. Some temporary housing for quake survivors has now been flooded. A local resident said: "A temporary house I'm planning to live in almost flooded on the ground floor. There are houses that have flooded. I wonder what's next."

The meteorological agency says nearly 500 millimeters of rain was recorded in Wajima from Friday evening to 10 p.m. Sunday. Nearly 400 millimeters of rain was also observed in Suzu City. Both figures are more than double the average rainfall for September and are also the highest since the agency began keeping records.

The agency downgraded its heavy rain emergency warning for parts of Ishikawa to a warning on Sunday morning. But it is still urging people to stay alert for possible floods and landslides in the prefecture.