Torrential rain and thunderstorms hit Miyake Island early Thursday, interrupting telephone services, including mobile phone services, on the east side of the volcanic island some 200 km south of Tokyo, village officials said.

The interruptions resulted from storm damage to Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.'s fiber-optic cables on the island.

NTT said the cables were damaged in an area between the Tsubota district, on the east side of the island, and the Ako district on the west side.

Mudslides Wednesday blocked roads in 10 places on the island, and more blockages were expected due to Thursday's rain, they said.

The Meteorological Agency said hourly rainfall of 31.5 mm was registered by 2 a.m. Thursday and forecast rainfall of 100 to 150 mm today.

Power on the island was cut off for 21 hours starting Tuesday night.

after the Tokyo Metropolitan Government ordered personnel in charge of the island's electricity services to seek shelter following warnings of heavy rain and mudslides.

The island's population of 3,850 has been evacuated following a series of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, but some 340 emergency personnel, including local and metro government officials, remain there.