36 Killed in Landslides in Hiroshima

At least 36 people including children were killed on the outskirts of Hiroshima, Japan, in landslides triggered by torrential rains, Wednesday.

According to Japanese weather reports,  incessant rains equivalent to a month's average, about 240 mm,  in 24 hours led to hills collapsing leading to rocks and mud and debris sweeping away residential areas, reports the BBC

Another nine people are still missing, said authorities.

Rescue teams are looking for survivors in the rubble. Public broadcaster NHK  said police helicopters were deployed to pull out people from the debris and rescuers could be seen climbing into homes looking for survivors, reports the Irish Times.

The youngest victim of the natural disaster was a  two-year-old, reports the Kyodo news agency.

. "The rain was just pouring down and the street in front of my house turned into a river," a man in his 70s told national television NHK.

According to reports, most residents were caught unawares by the intensity of  the rain and the havoc it caused as heavy rains in the season are common.

"A few people were washed away and it is hard to know exactly how many are unaccounted for," said a local government official Nakatoshi Okamoto, reports the Irish Times

Authorities have warned that more rains could lead to further landslides and floods.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked the officials to "raise the number of [military] personnel to several hundred in order to strengthen rescue operations".