Six people are feared dead in torrential rains that hit southwest Japan this week, the government said Tuesday, as search and rescue operations continued on the ground.
A heavy band of precipitation dumped record-breaking amounts of rain in some parts of the Kyushu area through Monday, causing rivers to overflow and sodden earth to collapse in landslides.
At least three people are confirmed to have died in the rains, government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters on Tuesday, adding that officials were investigating whether another three deaths were linked to the disaster.