2 missing after rainstorm hits Japan's Kansai

OSAKA - Two went missing on Tuesday as torrential rain hit several prefectures of the western Japanese region of Kansai where more than 1,000 people are advised to evacuate from homes, local press reported. ? ?

At least two went missing Tuesday morning after a landslide caused by the heavy rain hit a house in Uji city of Kyoto prefecture and its surrounding Kansai region which saw hourly rainfall of about 100 mm Tuesday morning, according to Japan's public broadcaster Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK). ?

The report said more than 1,000 people living in three residential zones of Otsu city in Shiga prefecture have been advised to evacuate since the morning hours due to threats of landslide caused by the continuous rainfall. ?

In Nara prefecture, meanwhile, local police started its rescue operation Tuesday morning after a group of junior students could not move forward in the Kii Mountains, a famous trekking zone in the prefecture, due to bad weather.

Weather authorities warned that heavy rainfall may trigger further floods and landslides in a wide area of Kansai, parts of which may see hourly rainfall of about 80 mm by Wednesday morning.