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At least six people were killed after torrential rain triggered severe flooding, landslides and widespread transportation disruptions across eastern Japan, local media reported Friday.
Japan's weather agency issued its highest-level heavy rain warning, covering more than one-third of municipalities in Chiba Prefecture, located near Tokyo,as authorities urged residents to take immediate protective measures, Kyodo News reported.
Flooded roads were reported across Chiba, trapping vehicles and causing traffic congestion, while several municipalities issued top-level landslide warnings.
Evacuation orders were issued for more than 400,000 people across Chiba and neighboring Ibaraki prefecture at the peak of the disaster, according to Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency. As of Friday morning, around 102,600 people in Chiba remained under evacuation orders.
More than 200 evacuation centers were set up across Chiba, Ibaraki, Saitama and Gunma prefectures, all located in the greater Tokyo region.
Authorities confirmed six deaths in Chiba, including people found in floodwaters and in vehicles trapped on flooded roads.
Around 7,000 people were forced to spend the night at Narita Airport, one of Tokyo's main international gateways, after train and bus services were disrupted.
Chiba's Chuo Ward recorded 115 millimeters (4.5 inches) of rain in a single hour Thursday night, an amount roughly equal to its average rainfall for the entire month of August.
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