Japan: 5 Millions to Leave Houses Due to Heavy Rain

Japanese authorities directed more than 5 million residents to leave their homes due to the threat of flooding and landslides, as torrential rains batter the country's southwestern tip on Saturday.

One woman was dead and two people were missing after torrential rains touched off a landslide and engulfed at least two houses in western Japan.

The strongest evacuation warning, Level 5, was issued on Saturday across the prefectures of Saga, Nagasaki, Fukuoka, and Hiroshima, according to public broadcaster NHK. Moreover, the next-strongest warning, Level 4, was issued to 17 other prefectures, affecting more than 4 million residents.

The country's meteorological authority, which issued the warnings, said in a statement that the rain front could stay over the country for about a week, according to Reuters.

In the same page, Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned of more rain to come over the next few days.

"People must take steps to secure their safety," a JMA official told a news conference. "There has been almost no movement of the rain front over Japan, and it's being fed by warm, humid air, which is making it more active."

Photographs from hard-hit provinces show residents wading through thigh-high water in flooded streets, carrying children and belongings. Firefighters and other emergency workers were also rescuing stranded residents, loading them onto inflatable boats.