Man killed by mudslide in Kyushu

FUKUOKA (Kyodo) Heavy rain pounded Kyushu on Monday, causing mudslides, killing one person and injuring five others in Kumamoto Prefecture.

The Meteorological Agency warned that the downpour, which has so far hit Kumamoto the hardest, would likely continue through Tuesday morning and the danger of landslides could rise to a level unseen in years.

In Yamato, Kumamoto Prefecture, a large amount of mud poured into a timber processing factory at about 2 p.m., engulfing three men working there, according to police.

They were rescued about one hour later, but one of them, Kazuya Nakamura, 36, died at a hospital where he was transported. The two others suffered minor injuries.

Also in Yamato, a 74-year-old woman was trapped inside a house hit by a mudslide just past 1 p.m. but was rescued about 90 minutes later. She suffered light injuries to one of her legs.

Mudslides have reported in at least 85 locations in Kyushu between Thursday, when it started raining, through Monday evening, according to the Meteorological Agency's regional office in Kyushu.

Meanwhile part of the Kyushu Expressway in the town of Nagomi, Kumamoto Prefecture, was closed following a landslide along the road, while a section of a farm road in Koga, Fukuoka Prefecture, was buried by a landslide.