Death toll rises to 16 in flood-hit Kyushu

TOKYO - 8 July 2017: The death toll from flooding and mudslides caused by heavy rain on the Japanese island of Kyushu rose to 16 on Saturday, while 15 people remained unaccounted for as rescue efforts continued.

The Japan Meteorological Agency warned residents to remain alert to mudslides and other disasters because heavy rain may fall through Saturday following Wednesday's downpour, the Japanese news agency Kyodo news reported.

In Saga Prefecture, four bodies were discovered on the sea of Ariake, with prefectural police investigating a possible link to the torrential rain which devastated Fukuoka and Oita prefectures.

According to the prefectural governments in southwestern Japan, 14 people remained unaccounted for in Fukuoka and one missing in Oita