Evacuations ordered in Japan as heavy rains trigger floods

Japanese authorities told tens of thousands of people to evacuate the quake-hit northern region of Ishikawa on Saturday as "unprecedented" rains triggered floods and landslides.

A dozen rivers in the region had burst their banks as of 11am (0200GMT), land ministry official Masaru Kojima said.

The cities of Wajima and Suzu, as well as Noto town, ordered about 44,700 residents to evacuate, local officials said.

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The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said it issued its highest level warning for Ishikawa, cautioning of a "life-threatening situation".

The areas under the warning were seeing "heavy rain of unprecedented levels", JMA forecaster Satoshi Sugimoto told reporters, adding "it is a situation in which you have to secure your safety immediately".

At least one person was missing in Wajima, while many buildings were inundated, with landslides blocking parts of roadways, the Ishikawa government said in a statement.

Public broadcaster NHK aired footage showing an entire street in Wajima submerged under water.

Three rivers in Ishikawa were overflowing into nearby communities, a local official told AFP earlier.

At least one house was hit by a landslide, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said, without giving further details.

Another 16,000 residents in Niigata and Yamagata prefectures north of Ishikawa were also told to evacuate, the agency said.

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