News Huge floods sweep southern Japan, two dead, 18 missing

News Huge floods sweep southern Japan, two dead, 18 missing Quentin TYBERGHIEN,AFP News 21 minutes ago Reactions Sign in to like Reblog on Tumblr Share Tweet Email At least two people have been killed and 18 others are missing in huge floods that are surging through southern Japan, with authorities warning hundreds of thousands of people to flee. Unprecedented torrential rain has caused rivers to burst their banks, sweeping away roads and houses, and destroying schools. Thousands of soldiers and other rescuer workers were scrambling Thursday to reach people cut off by torrents of swirling water or threatened by landslides, as forecasters warned of worse to come. "We are in an extremely serious situation," Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said, warning of the danger of collapsing hillsides and adding "many people are still missing". More than 50 centimetres (20 inches) of rain deluged parts of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands, over 12 hours on Wednesday, the meteorological agency said. Downpours will likely continue through Friday, the agency said as the region grapples with the aftermath of a typhoon that raked the country this week. Authorities lifted "special" heavy rain warnings for the hardest hit prefectures of Fukuoka and Oita, although lesser warnings remained in place. Japan is deploying 7,500 police, rescue personnel and troops in affected areas of Kyushu, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said. "There is a lot of information about people who are unaccounted for," he told a press conference, declining to confirm the number of people missing. Those included a child reportedly carried off by a fast-flowing river and a couple who had not been seen since their house was swept away. A man was found dead in the city of Asakura in Fukuoka prefecture, public broadcaster NHK and Jiji Press reported, citing police sources. NHK and Jiji also reported that a man died in a landslide in Hita, in Oita prefecture, but an official there could not immediately confirm it. Local officials said in total they knew of 18 people who were missing in Fukuoka and Oita. - 'Hang in there!' - Television footage showed rolling waves from swollen rivers hitting residential areas, tearing up roads and inundating farmland. Asakura was among the hardest hit with footage showing floodwaters surging through the streets. Ryoichi Nishioka, who grows flowers in the city, said he tried to save them from damage amid fast rising waters the night before. "I tried to protect them by covering them up but couldn't make it," he told AFP. "Then the swirling water flooded this area and swept away the greenhouses." Nishioka, 67, also described helping a man who clung to an electric pole as muddy waters rampaged through the area. "We had a blackout, so I used a flashlight from the second floor and put light for him," he said. "I was calling out to encourage him for three hours from 9pm to midnight. "I shouted: 'Hang in there!'" The man was ultimately rescued, Nishioka said. An elderly man in the hard-hit Haki district of Asakura told NHK how furniture bobbed in the flood waters that inundated his home. "I dodged them and escaped in a gush of water," he said. A railroad bridge has been destroyed by the raging Kagetsu river, disrupting train services, a railway spokesman said. Several other train lines were also forced to delay or stop operations due to heavy rains, while local officials called off classes at primary and middle schools. Be the first to comment Sign in to post a comment. Man Proposed to His Fiancée’s Sister, Too, for a Really Special Reason Yahoo Style How To Handle Prostatitis DrAxe Sponsored  Possible Tornado Forms Near Alida, Saskatchewan Storyful Philippines' adult entertainment king wins 'jolli' battle AFP News Indigenous Song, Dance and Language Celebrated at Currumbin Storyful How Older Men Tighten Their Skin LifeCell Sponsored  Philippines' Duterte vows to eat militants after beheadings AFP News AFP News Gatland backs unchanged Lions as All Blacks roll dice AFP News 1 hour 9 minutes ago Reactions Sign in to like Reblog on Tumblr Share Tweet Email The British and Irish Lions named an unchanged team on Thursday for the decisive third Test against the All Blacks, who gambled on rookies in a reshuffled backline. Visiting coach Warren Gatland urged his team to "make Lions history" as he had the luxury of picking the team's first unchanged line-up since 1993. The All Blacks, who are back-to-back world champions, won the first Test 30-15 but lost 24-21 last week, when the Lions came from nine points down in the final 20 minutes. The Lions will now bid to complete their first New Zealand series victory in 46 years on Saturday at Auckland's Eden Park -- where the All Blacks are unbeaten in 38 Tests. "It is not very often on a Lions Tour that you get to pick the same 23 for the following game," Gatland said. "We are all aware of how big this game is and we are expecting a backlash from the All Blacks," he added. "This is a huge chance for this group of players to show their abilities and reap the benefits of the work everyone has put in. "It is their chance to make Lions history." While the composite team are finally settled at the end of their tour, the All Blacks were forced into changes with coach Steve Hansen giving Jordie Barrett and Ngani Laumape their first Test starts. Prolific winger Julian "The Bus" Savea returns after being dropped for the first two games with Barrett, fly-half Beauden's brother, named at fullback and Laumape at centre. It comes after Sonny Bill Williams was suspended following his red card in the second Test. Hansen said Rieko Ioane was unwell and his fellow wing Waisake Naholo was dropped as a precaution after a head knock. - 'Cool, calm, collected' - Jordie Barrett and Laumape have just 70 minutes of international rugby between them, and Anton Lienert-Brown, who will partner Laumape in the centres, only made his debut last year. Hansen denied reports of scuffles at training as tensions mount pre-game, and insisted that Barrett, who is likely to face an aerial bombardment from the Lions, could handle the pressure. Barrett, is a "cool, calm collected kid and we wouldn't have put him there if we didn't think he was up to it. He wouldn't be put in the position if we didn't trust him," Hansen said. "Ngani's the guy we see going forward is going to play a big part in our selection process and we've got a lot of confidence in him." The last time the All Blacks played a rookie fullback against the Lions was in 1977, when Bevan Wilson came in after New Zealand lost the second Test. His penalty-kicking prowess steered the All Blacks to victory in the remaining two Tests of that series. Hansen also attempted to play down the importance of the game, insisting it would not be the end the world if the Lions win only their second series in New Zealand. "I've heard a lot of stories this week that you'd think the All Blacks have never lost a game and the sky's fallen in" after losing the second Test, he said. Teams (15-1) New Zealand: Jordie Barrett; Israel Dagg, Anton Lienert-Brown, Ngani Laumape, Julian Savea; Beauden Barrett, Aaron Smith; Kieran Read (capt), Sam Cane, Jerome Kaino; Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick; Owen Franks, Codie Taylor, Joe Moody Replacements: Nathan Harris, Wyatt Crockett, Charlie Faumuina, Scott Barrett, Ardie Savea, TJ Perenara, Aaron Cruden, Malakai Fekitoa Lions: Liam Williams (WAL); Anthony Watson (ENG), Jonathan Davies (WAL), Owen Farrell (ENG), Elliot Daly (ENG); Johnny Sexton (IRL), Conor Murray (/IRL); Taulupe Faletau (ENG), Sean O'Brien (IRL), Sam Warburton (capt, WAL); Alun Wyn Jones (WAL), Maro Itoje (ENG); Tadhg Furlong (IRL), Jamie George (ENG), Mako Vunipola (ENG) Replacements: Ken Owens (WAL), Jack McGrath (IRL), Kyle Sinckler (ENG), Courtney Lawes (ENG), CJ Stander (IRL), Rhys Webb (WAL), Ben Te'o (ENG), Jack Nowell (ENG) Be the first to comment Sign in to post a comment.