Death toll over 120 in Japan flood

Rescuers in western Japan dug through mud and rubble early on Tuesday, racing to find survivors after torrential rain that began last week unleashed floods and landslides that killed up to 130 people, with dozens missing.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cancelled an overseas trip to deal with Japan's worst flood disaster since 1982, with several million people forced from their homes.

Officials said the overall economic impact was not clear.

Japan has mobilized 73,000 police officers, firefighters, Self-Defense Forces personnel and other rescuers to dig through mud and debris to find people still unaccounted for. Helicopters, boats and rafts were used to move people to safe places.

In some remote areas, which rescue workers can't immediately access. The magnitude of the disaster remains unclear.

The Japanese government has categorized the torrential rain and landslides as a "serious disaster".

It is the first time in 35 years in Japan that more than 100 people have been killed by heavy rainfall within such a short period, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has mobilized pumper trucks to drain inundated areas. But it is likely to take about two weeks to complete the drainage, officials said.

Nearly 17,000 households are still without power.

Thirteen railroad operators had suspended services on 37 routes in western Japan or elsewhere as of Monday morning, according to Japan's transport ministry.

Japan's emergency rain warnings have been lifted, but Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga warned residents to keep watching for landslides.

Contact the writer at caihong@chinadaily.com.cn.