At least six people have died in Japan after floods hit the Noto Peninsula Flood News

Unprecedented rains hit the area, which was still rebuilding after the 7.5 magnitude earthquake.

At least six people have been confirmed dead in Japan’s Noto Peninsula after floods hit the region that was still recovering from a massive earthquake nine months ago.

Heavy rain lashed the area over the weekend, with more than 540 millimeters (21 inches) of rain falling in the city of Wajima in 72 hours, the heaviest rainfall since comparative data was available.

The region is still recovering from a 7.5 magnitude earthquake on January 1, which toppled buildings, caused landslides and sparked massive fires.

The Japan Times and public broadcaster NHK said six people had died – five in Wajima and one in nearby Suzu.

At least eight people were missing or unaccounted for, according to NHK, including a 14-year-old high school girl.

Floodwaters covered emergency housing built for those who lost their homes in the earthquake, which killed at least 374 people, according to the Ishikawa prefecture government. Some of the missing were workers on construction projects related to the earthquake.

About 4,000 households were without power on Monday due to the rain, according to the Hokuriku Electric Power Company.

More than 100 areas in the region have been affected after road collapses blocked roads.

Akemi Yamashita, 54, a resident of Wajima, told AFP that he was driving on Saturday when “less than 30 minutes later, water poured onto the road and quickly rose to half the length of my car”.

“I was talking to other residents of Wajima yesterday, they said, ‘It is very sad to live in this town’. I was moved to tears when I heard that,” he said, describing the earthquake and floods as “something from a movie”.

Soldiers were sent to the area to help rescuers after tens of thousands of residents were asked to evacuate.

“This is a heavy rain in this region that caused a lot of damage due to the earthquake in Noto Peninsula. There must be many people who are very worried,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters.

Heavy rain was also reported in the nearby northern prefectures of Niigata and Yamagata, threatening flooding and other damage and forcing the suspension of train services.