Record rainfall in southwestern Japan has prompted weather officials to issue emergency warnings. Two people are reported dead and 11 missing in flooding that wrecked homes and roads.<br/><br/>Japan's MeT Agency said, the northern part of the Kyushu region has seen unprecedented amount of rain since yesterday. It has forecast hourly rain of more than 50 millimeters in some parts of northern Kyushu cautioning against possible flooding and mudslides.<br/><br/>Over five lakh people in the 4 prefectures of Fukuoka, Oita, Kumamoto and Saga have been ordered to evacuate. More than 1,600 personnel from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force are helping to rescue stranded residents. 12 helicopters are standing by to make an aerial assessment of damage if the weather improves.

In Japan, at least 10 people were missing and more than Five lakh were forced from their homes after record rains battered southwestern Japan for a second day today. <br/><br/>Rescue crews in southwest Japan are trying to reach stranded residents and locate missing people as torrential rain has triggered serious flooding and landslides. About 7,500 rescuers, including police, firefighters and soldiers from Japan's Self Defence Forces, were mobilized to help with evacuations and search for the missing. <br/><br/>Parts of Fukuoka prefecture on the southwestern island of Kyushu were hit by 774 millimeter of rain in nine hours yesterday, about 2.2 times the amount of rain that falls in a normal July. Weather officials have issued emergency warnings for parts of Fukuoka and Oita prefectures.