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Source: Photos.com
At least three people have died and 50,000 have been ordered to evacuate their homes as heavy rain continues to drench the southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu.
Mud and water are blocking access roads as emergency services try to reach houses that have been destroyed by mudslides, the Herald Sun reports.
Japanese troops have been deployed with nearly 500 millimetres of rain falling in eight hours in some parts of the prefecture.
"Particularly in Kumamoto and Oita prefectures, we are seeing the heaviest rain that (the region) has ever experienced," the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Kumamoto prefecture confirmed the deaths of three women in their 70s and 80s, after waters destroyed their houses, an official said.
The local government has also received reports of at least five people missing, including a man who was swept away by a swollen river in Aso city.
"We are receiving many requests for rescuers and reports of mudslides. We are responding to the calls as swiftly as we possibly can," a Kumamoto disaster official said.
In Kumamoto prefecture more than 17,000 households had been ordered to evacuate, with 5000 more advised to seek shelter elsewhere.