2 killed, 20 missing as powerful landslide ploughs through houses due to heavy rain in Japan (VIDEO)

Several homes have been destroyed by a landslide amid torrential rain in the city of Atami in the Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. With at least two people killed and around 20 missing, officials have called in the army for help.

A video posted on social media shows a powerful flood sweeping away several houses on hilly terrain. A fire truck is seen driving away from the flood, while a firefighter runs for his life.

TV channel NHK quoted regional officials as saying that two bodies have been recovered and around 20 people remain unaccounted for. The officials have requested the help of the Japan Self-Defense Forces.

According to the media, 14 residents were evacuated from the area and sheltered in a museum building.

Newspaper Nikkan Sports reported that torrential rain has caused flooding due to rising rivers elsewhere in Japan. A family was rescued in Numazu, Shizuoka after a landslide swept away their home. In the Kanagawa Prefecture, a driver was rescued after his car was caught in a flood. 

A highest-level alert has been declared in Atami for more than 35,600 people in nearly 21,000 households. Evacuation orders were issued for residents of the Shizuoka and Aichi prefectures, as well as areas surrounding Tokyo.

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