Japan struggles in the wake of worst flooding in decades

The death toll from Japan’s worst flooding in nearly four decades has reached 127, with authorities struggling to restore utilities and bring relief to the victims.

The power supply has resumed to all but 3,500 customers, but more than 200,000 remain without water under the scorching sun, with temperatures set to hit 33C in some of the hardest-hit areas, such as the city of Kurashiki.

Torrential rains unleashed floods and landslides in western Japan last week, killing 127, with 63 missing, public broadcaster NHK said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cancelled an overseas trip to cope with the disaster, which at one point forced several million from their homes.

Abe has promised that the government will provide financial support to residents affected by the disaster.

The country’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported that most of the fatalities were from the southwestern Hiroshima Prefecture, where more than 40 people were reported killed.

Officials were quoted as saying that the death toll “may rise” as the extent of the damage remains unknown.