Record-breaking rainfall has inundated southern Japan, unleashing floods and mudslides that have forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents and severely disrupted transport.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued its highest-level warnings for parts of southern Kyushu on Friday after up to 495 mm (nearly 20 inches) of rain fell in just 12 hours in Kirishima City, Kagoshima Prefecture. Local authorities declared a heavy rain emergency as swollen rivers burst their banks and streets turned into waterways.

In Aira City, a mudslide buried a home, trapping two people who were later rescued and hospitalized. Across Kagoshima and neighboring Miyazaki Prefectures, over 360,000 residents were urged to evacuate to safer ground.

Transportation across the region has ground to a halt. Train and bus services have been suspended, and dozens of flights to and from Kagoshima Airport were canceled. In Kirishima, floodwaters in a local shopping mall reached knee height, while elsewhere rivers overflowed, cutting off some communities.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba convened an emergency task force, pledging that the government would “spare no effort” to safeguard lives and coordinate relief. The JMA has warned that heavy rain and thunderstorms will persist until at least August 11, heightening the risk of further flooding and landslides.

The extreme weather is part of a broader wave of severe rainfall affecting Asia. In Kanazawa, on Japan’s main island of Honshu, 148 mm of rain fell in just three hours, disrupting local transport. Similar downpours have hit parts of India and Hong Kong in recent days.

Authorities continue to urge residents in affected areas to remain on high alert, follow evacuation orders, and avoid rivers, slopes, and other hazardous locations.