Heavy rain lashed central Japan on Sunday, with floods and landslides leaving one dead and at least six missing in an area already devastated by a major earthquake earlier this year.

Japanese authorities have ordered tens of thousands of residents to evacuate from the quake-hit Ishikawa region as torrential rains have triggered catastrophic floods and mudslides. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) on Saturday issued its highest alert level for the area,

The deluges in Japan caused swollen rivers to overflow, flooding homes and stranding some residents in the region.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued the highest level of heavy rain across several cities in the Ishikawa prefecture, including hard-hit cities Suzu and Wajima on the northern coast of the Noto peninsula.

Up to 30,000 people in two cities in central Japan have been ordered to evacuate after weather forecasters warned of major flooding caused by heavy rain. About 18,000 people in the city of Wajima and another 12,

Japanese authorities told tens of thousands of people to evacuate the quake-hit region of Ishikawa on Saturday as "unprecedented" rains triggered floods and landslides.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued the highest level of alert for heavy rain across several cities in the Ishikawa prefecture, including hard-hit cities Suzu and Wajima on the northern coast of the Noto peninsula.