TOKYO, Aug 4, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Bridges collapsed and rivers burst their banks
as heavy rain lashed northern Japan on Thursday, with 200,000 residents urged
to evacuate as authorities warned of dangerous flooding.

TV footage showed a muddy mass of broken trees swept into a mountainous
residential area by the downpours, which broke records in some areas.

Two people have been reported missing, top government spokesman Hirokazu
Matsuno told reporters.

Authorities have warned of an increased risk of landslides and floods.

Public broadcaster NHK said non-compulsory evacuation advisories were issued
to 200,000 residents in five regions: Niigata, Yamagata, Fukushima, Ishikawa
and Fukui.

Other TV footage showed homes flooded by an overflowing river and another
muddy waterway reaching the height of a bridge.

Some shinkansen bullet trains were suspended in the affected areas.

Scientists say climate change is intensifying the risk of heavy rain in Japan
and elsewhere, because a warmer atmosphere holds more water.

Strong rain in 2021 triggered a devastating landslide in the central resort
town of Atami that killed 27 people.

And in 2018, floods and landslides killed more than 200 people in western
Japan during the country's annual rainy season.