3 dead as heavy rain hits northeastern Japan

One more body, believed to be a missing police officer, was found Sunday in northeastern Japan, which was hit by heavy rain that triggered flooding and landslides, bringing the death toll to three, local authorities said.

The body discovered in Shinjo, Yamagata Prefecture, is likely one of two police officers in their 20s who went missing after being swept away in a police car last Thursday, they said. The other one had been found earlier and confirmed dead.

Three other people were unaccounted for in the disaster affecting Yamagata and its neighboring Akita Prefecture, with heavy rain feared to continue in the regions.

In Sakata, Yamagata, an 86-year-old woman went missing while heading to an evacuation site with her family, while the whereabouts of two men in Akita Prefecture remained unknown.

Local authorities will search for the missing people as weather conditions allow, they said.

3 dead as heavy rain hits northeastern Japan

3 dead as heavy rain hits northeastern Japan

3 dead as heavy rain hits northeastern Japan

3 dead as heavy rain hits northeastern Japan

3 dead as heavy rain hits northeastern Japan