Heavy rain leaves 1 dead, 2 missing in Japan

In this July 8, 2013 photo taken in Tokyo, lightening flashes over Saitama prefecture. AP FILE PHOTO

TOKYO – Heavy rains lashed Japan over the weekend, leaving one person dead and two missing, the government said Monday as it issued a severe storm warning.

A 79-year-old woman was confirmed dead Sunday after being discovered inside a house that was destroyed by mudslides in Yamaguchi prefecture, on Japan’s southwest coast.

An 84-year-old man was missing from the same region after being swept away near a river, local reports said, citing police and other official sources.

Also missing was a 24-year-old man who was last seen leaving his home in Shimane prefecture, just to the north of Yamaguchi.

The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of floods and mudslides from “unprecedented heavy rain,” saying the storm was to sweep over central Japan on Monday.