Japan's Nagasaki Orders Evacuations Amid Heavy Rain, Landslide Risk

TOKYO, June 24 (Bernama-dpa) -- Authorities in the Japanese city of Nagasaki urged all of its roughly 380,000 residents to evacuate on Wednesday amid heavy rainfall and an elevated risk of landslides, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

Officials issued the second-highest alert level for the entire southern city, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported, calling on residents to avoid areas at risk.

Japan’s weather agency warned of further heavy rain across other parts of the south-western main island of Kyushu, raising concerns about overflowing rivers and flooding in low-lying areas.

The risk was also elevated in the prefectures of Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki and Kumamoto, while warnings of heavy rain were issued for the smaller main island of Shikoku.

Two tropical cyclones were also forming south of Japan, the agency said.

Japan has increasingly experienced intense rainfall in recent years, which scientists link to climate change, leading to more frequent landslides in the mountainous island nation.

-- BERNAMA-dpa