Pounding rain in central Japan triggers mudslides

Heavy rain in Japan's central Gifu prefecture on Wednesday swelled rivers and triggered mudslides, destroying houses and roads.

At least 58 people have died in Japan after several days of flooding, most of them from the hardest-hit Kumamoto prefecture.

Parts of Nagano and Gifu in central Japan were submerged by massive downpours.

In a mountainous town of Takayama, several houses were hit by a mudslide, with uprooted trees and other debris scattered around.

It was not immediately known what happened to their residents.

Across the country, about 3.6 million people were advised to evacuate, although evacuation is not mandatory and the number of people who actually took shelter was not provided.

Tens of thousands of army troops, police and other rescue workers were mobilized to assist across the country.

Japan is at high risk of heavy rain in early summer when wet and warm air from the East China Sea flows into a seasonal rain front above the country.