Police officers walk on woody debris which were swept by heavy rain as they conduct rescue and search operation in Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan July 8, 2017. REUTERS/Issei Kato.
Tokyo: The death toll from heavy rain and flooding in southern Japan this week has risen to 16, officials said Saturday.
Rescuers have recovered the body of one person who died in record rainfall in the northern part of the Kyushu region, southwestern Japan. The discovery brings the death toll for Fukuoka and Oita prefectures to 16, NHK World reported.
Heavy rain warnings are still in place for parts of the southern island of Kyushu on Saturday, days after Typhoon Nanmadol swept across Japan, triggering floods and mudslides that wrecked hundreds of homes, roads and rice terraces.
A rescue team found the body in Asakura City in Fukuoka on Saturday, bringing the number of deaths in the prefecture to 13. Fukuoka officials say 14 people are still missing and 10 people are injured.
Authorities say on Saturday they recovered 4 bodies from a coastal area of Saga Prefecture, which adjoins Fukuoka. Police say driftwood at the site suggests the bodies might have been washed away from Fukuoka.
