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Flooding Strikes Northeast Japan; Tens of Thousands Flee


FILE - In early July, flooding struck southwestern Japan, including Hita, in Oita Prefecture, where a flooded road with fallen rocks is pictured, July 5, 2017. In northeast Japan, tens of thousands have been told to evacuate because of heavy rain and flooding.
FILE - In early July, flooding struck southwestern Japan, including Hita, in Oita Prefecture, where a flooded road with fallen rocks is pictured, July 5, 2017. In northeast Japan, tens of thousands have been told to evacuate because of heavy rain and flooding.

Tens of thousands of people in northeast Japan were told to evacuate their homes Sunday as heavy rain caused major flooding and cut some rail links, authorities said.

The storm follows freak rains in southwestern Japan earlier this month that left at least 25 people dead.

Almost 25,000 people in Akita prefecture were ordered to evacuate, and around 65,000 more people were advised to leave or told to prepare to leave the area, an official at Akita prefecture told Reuters.

Several rivers were flooding and more than 100 houses had been inundated by floodwaters, the official said. No injuries or deaths have been reported, but the authorities were still investigating, he added.

Some bullet trains running to and from Akita have been suspended because of the heavy rains, East Japan Railway said on its website.

“There is a significant amount of water accumulating in the land. Even if the heavy rains stop, we will continue to warn people to stay vigilant,” the Akita prefecture official said.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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