Japan hunts for typhoon victims

Torrential rain brought by powerful Typhoon Talas, which made landfall in western Japan on Saturday, caused rivers to swell and triggered floods and landslides that swept away buildings, homes and roads.

Police and firefighters resumed a search for the missing early Monday, warning that the number of victims was set to rise as the continued threat of landslides and damaged access routes hampered relief efforts.

In the deadliest typhoon since an October 2004 storm killed nearly 100 people, the floods it triggered gave rise to scenes eerily reminiscent of the aftermath of the 11 March tsunami that hit northeast Japan.

In Nachikatsuura a railway bridge was swept into a river, while TV footage showed splintered trees, crushed houses and cars tossed onto walls and buildings by the raging floodwaters that inundated entire neighbourhoods.

By Sunday, Talas was downgraded to a tropical storm after it moved over Japan and into the Sea of Japan (East Sea), the nation's Meteorological Agency said, but a continued risk of further landslides posed a threat to rescue and recovery efforts.

The storm came after new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda was sworn in on Friday, replacing Naoto Kan, who was heavily criticised for Japan's response in the aftermath of the 11 March disasters.

The Talas weather system, moving as slow as 10 kilometres per hour, dumped 1.8 metres of rain on a village in Nara prefecture for five days through Sunday, more than Tokyo's annual average rainfall, said the Yomiuri daily.

Wakayama prefecture was the hardest hit region, where 17 people were killed and 28 were still missing. More than 200 rescue workers continued the search on the ground on Monday.

One woman was killed in a mudslide and seven others were missing in the city.

The daughter of Nachikatsuura town mayor Shinichi Teramoto was killed as he ran disaster relief operations Sunday, media said, and his wife was missing. His house was destroyed by a torrent of water.

Television footage showed massive landslides crushing wooden houses in mountain communities, with muddy water submerging streets and washing away wooden debris and cars.

A tally by Kyodo News said at least 3,600 were left stranded by landslides and collapsed bridges.