Heavy rain hits scenic central Japan, more damage in south

 Flooding and mudslides have stranded hundreds of people in scenic hot springs and hiking areas in central Japan, while rescue workers searched on Thursday for more people missing in disaster that alrey has killed nearly 60 people in a sourn region.

Parts of Naga and Gifu, including areas kwn for scenic mountain trails and hot springs, have been flooded by massive downpours.

More than 300 people, including hotel employees and visitors, were trapped in Kamikochi, as floods and mudslides hit a main ro connecting town to Matsumoto, ar tourist destination in Naga. All of stranded people were safe, prefectural officials said.

In neighboring Gifu, hundreds were also isolated in hot spring towns of Gero and Ontake.

As of Thursday morning, death toll from heavy rains which started over weekend h risen to 59, most of m from hardest-hit Kumamoto prefecture on Japan's third largest island of Kyushu. Searching continued for 14 still missing in Kumamoto.

Hundreds of thousands of people were in areas under evacuation visories, but leaving wasn’t mandatory and number who sought shelter was t kwn.

Japan is at high risk of heavy rain in early summer when wet and warm air from East China Sea flows into a seasonal rain front above country. In July 2018, more than 200 people, about half of m in Hiroshima, died from heavy rain and flooding in southwestern Japan.

Meteorological ncy officials said seasonal rain front has stayed above Japan longer than usual, prompting heavy rain to persist.