ONE DIES, 10 UNACCOUNTED FOR AFTER RAINFALL IN JAPAN'S NOTO

TOKYO, Sept 22 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- One person was killed and 10 remained unaccounted for Saturday after heavy rainfall in Noto, a central Japan region that was hit hard by a powerful earthquake on New Year's Day, local authorities said.

Rainfall of more than 120 millimetres per hour was recorded in the morning in Wajima, located in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture, amid the formation of linear rainbands, known to bring torrential downpours, Kyodo News Agency reported. 

It was the heaviest rain the area has experienced since comparable records became available, the weather agency said.

According to the prefectural government, one person was killed in Suzu after a landslide crushed a home, while three people went missing after being swept away by rivers in Suzu, Wajima and Noto, the three municipalities where the warning was issued.

Three workers could not be reached after a landslide at the construction site of a tunnel in Wajima, which was damaged by the Jan 1 earthquake, according to the land ministry office overseeing the Noto region's quake restoration.

Also in Wajima, local fire authorities said four other people were unaccounted for after four houses were damaged in the storm.

"The number of missing people in the city reached 10," Wajima Mayor Shigeru Sakaguchi said at a meeting with officials involved in disaster response work.

Around 4,300 households in Wajima, 1,100 in Suzu and 840 in Noto were experiencing power outages as of 5 pm, according to Hokuriku Electric Power Co.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, more than 16 rivers had overflowed in the prefecture as of 1 pm.

As some levees were damaged by the earthquake on Jan 1, the agency called for early evacuation, saying flooding could occur even at low water levels.

Ishikawa Gov Hiroshi Hase called on people to act "in consideration of the anticipated dangerous situations," given that structures remain vulnerable in some areas following the powerful earthquake.

The Japan Meteorological Agency also warned that atmospheric conditions would become extremely unstable in the northeastern region of Tohoku due to the flow of warm, humid air into a low-pressure system.

The agency urged people to remain vigilant for landslides, flooding in low-lying areas,and overflowing rivers in Tohoku and the Hokuriku region, including Noto, through Sunday.

JR East, which operates bullet trains in the eastern, northeastern, and central areas, suspended some of its Yamagata Shinkansen services in Tohoku.

Highways and roads were closed in various places amid the heavy rain.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO