Severe floods and landslides kills 2 and prompts evacuation advisory for more than 80,000 people in Japan

Floods and landslides following torrential rain in western Japan have killed at least two people and prompted one city to advise more than 80,000 people to flee their homes, officials said on Sunday.

One man was confirmed dead in Kyoto city early on Sunday after he was swept away by a flooded river while trying to build a sandbag barrier, Kyoto prefectural officials said.

In nearby Ishikawa prefecture, the body of a 74-year-old woman was pulled from her house after a landslide, national broadcaster NHK said.

Western and central Japan were Sunday still being battered by heavy rain that started Friday. Fukuchiyama City in Kyoto prefecture experienced rainfall of 303mm during the 24 hours to early Sunday, a record for the city, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.