Death toll rises to seven after Japan floods

The death toll from floods which have devastated parts of Japan in recent days rose to seven on Sunday, with thousands of homes submerged, as rescuers searched for 15 people still missing.

Police on Sunday found the bodies of two men in rice paddies in Joso, the worst-hit city. Earlier in the day they discovered the body of a 68-year-old man inside a submerged car in a flooded <g data-gr-id="25">ricefield</g> in the town of Tochigi north of Tokyo.

Parts of Joso, a community of 65,000 residents, were washed away Thursday when a levee on the Kinugawa river gave way, flooding an area spanning 32 square kilometres (12 square miles) after the worst rains in decades.

Toru Takasugi, mayor of the city about 60 kilometres (37 miles) outside Tokyo, apologised at a press conference for not ordering residents to evacuate before the river burst its banks, local media reported.

“We thought it might break its banks but we couldn’t predict where. We are deeply sorry for not handling the situation properly,” he said.

Four days have passed since the flooding but a total of 1,800 rescuers including police, firefighters and military were still struggling today to find 15 people still missing from Joso, public broadcaster NHK said. The weather agency warned of the possibility of more heavy rain in the 

flood-hit area later in the evening.