The death toll from heavy rains rose to five with at least three others feared dead and 28 missing, as downpours continued lashing western Japan on Saturday.
Rescue crews expanded their search for people trapped, injured or dead, as heavy rainfall caused flooding and landslides in wider areas, in Hiroshima and Okayama prefectures in particular.
Emergency warnings were lifted by early Saturday in Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki but remain in five other prefectures including Hiroshima and Okayama.
Since the downpour began Thursday, the weather agency has forecast record amounts of rain through Sunday, warning of flooding, mudslides and lightning strikes.
The agency warned of potential heavy rain of up to 80 millimeters per hour in some areas. In the 24-hour period through 6 a.m. on Sunday, 300 millimeters of rain is forecast in the Shikoku and northern Kyushu regions, 250 mm in the southern Kyushu and Tokai regions, and 200 mm in the Chugoku, Kinki and Hokuriku regions.
==Kyodo
source: news.abs-cbn.com
