Torrential rain and flood kill nine in Japan amid wettest month in decades

Heavy rain that battered eastern Japan has left nine people dead, NHK said on Sunday, after an 'unprecedented' deluge that flooded more than a thousand homes and disrupted roads and rail services. Torrential downpours started late on Thursday, triggering landslide warnings and power outages. The Chiba region received 300mm (nearly 12 inches) of rain in 24 hours, making it the wettest August in six decades. By Friday morning, Chiba had logged more than three times the typical August rainfall. Nine deaths were reported, with some victims trapped in submerged cars or found on flooded streets. Over 70 houses were partially destroyed, and more than 1,000 households experienced flooding, with water surging above floorboards in nearly 600 cases. An estimated 1,200 cars remain abandoned on roads. Authorities are working to tow or relocate them. A meteorological official described the weather as 'unprecedented,' linking it to climate change, which scientists say is making extreme weather more frequent and intense.