At least 47 people were missing and five were in a critical condition as torrential rain that has killed 27 people pounds western and central Japan, public broadcaster NHK said on Saturday, with more than 1.6 million people evacuated from their homes.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued special weather warnings across four prefectures in the west of Japan’s main island of Honshu, urging vigilance against landslides, rising rivers and strong winds amid what it called “historic” rains, presstv.com wrote.

In Motoyama, a town on Shikoku island about 600 km from Tokyo, 583 millimeters (23 inches) of rain fell between Friday and Saturday mornings, the Meteorological Agency said.

The agency said that although a weather front had settled between western and eastern Japan, there was a risk that heavy rains would continue as warm air flowed towards the front.

IRAN DAILY