Several missing as floods, landslides hit southern Japan, officials and reports say

Several people were reported missing after heavy rains and landslides in southern Japan flooded homes and swept people away on Monday, according to media reports and local officials. Rescue teams continue to search for missing individuals after Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency advised tens of thousands of people in six prefectures to evacuate to safer areas. In Kumamoto prefecture, rescuers are searching for three people, one of whom was heading to an evacuation center with family when a mudslide hit their vehicle, according to the Associated Press. Areas of the prefecture were under Japan’s most serious evacuation warning. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued landslide warnings for Kumamoto and eight other prefectures. In Misato town, also in the prefecture, rescuers saved an