Japan ramps up rescue efforts

TOKYO, Oct 14 (MENA) - Japan ramped up rescue efforts on Sunday for survivors of a typhoon that brought record-breaking amounts of rain, flooding huge swaths of residential districts and leaving at least 35 dead and nearly 20 others missing, Kyodo reported.

A day after Typhoon Hagibis lashed Tokyo and other areas in central, eastern and northeastern regions, 17 people are still missing, according to a Kyodo News tally based on information provided by rescuers and other authorities.

The government held a meeting of its major disaster management headquarters, during which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, "People's lives should come first and foremost. Utmost efforts should be made to rescue people from inundated houses and look for people whose whereabouts are unknown."

"Over 110,000 police officers, firefighters, coast guard officials and SDF personnel are currently engaged in rescue operations," Abe said. "I ask the people of Japan to remain vigilant against landslides and flooding rivers."