Japanese Flooding, Landslides Leave at Least 88 Dead

As heavy rain falls for the third straight day in Japan, government officials have raised the death toll from the resulting floods and landslides to 88, with at least 58 more missing. Approximately 40 helicopters have been dispatched to rescue trapped victims. The Associated Press reports that three hours of rainfall in one region left accumulations of 10.4 inches—the most the country has seen at that rate since it began keeping records in 1976—and that even after the rain stops, the landslides that follow could prove disastrous. “Rescue efforts are a battle with time,” said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “The rescue teams are doing their utmost.”