Tokyo: At least 18 people, including seven children, were killed in Japan on Wednesday after landslides triggered by torrential rains hit Hiroshima prefecture, a media report said.
More than 100mm of rain per hour was recorded in Hiroshima prefecture in the early hours of Wednesday, triggering landslides and flooding.
Thirteen people were also missing, the media said.
Residents in the areas hit by the torrential rains have been advised to evacuate to safety.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has cut short his vacation following reports of the disaster, and instructed government bodies to make all-out efforts to rescue those affected.
Helicopters clattered overhead, lifting out survivors, as rescue workers searched through mud and piles of stones in residential areas about 5 km (3 miles) from the city centre.
Those dug out of the debris included a two-year-old boy and his eleven-year-old brother, whose house was struck as they slept.
