Japan floods kill 15

The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in southern Japan has risen to 15, a government official said yesterday, as rescuers continued work to evacuate isolated survivors. Raging rivers overflowing with water and mud have devastated swathes of Kyushuthe southernmost of Japan’s four main islands-after heavy rainfall, sweeping away roads and houses and destroying schools. Thousands of rescuers have been fighting through thick mud and battling rain to search for missing and stranded people, with more than 500 believed to still be cut off, according to public broadcaster NHK. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters yesterday that the death toll “rose to 15” and 16 people were still missing. Local governments announced Friday that a total of eight people have died. “The region is expected to see a localized heavy rain today,” Suga said, advising local residents to gather information from the governments and media.