An 11-year-old boy died in Saga Prefecture and 57,000 residents in Fukuoka Prefecture were ordered to evacuate as record heavy rain pelted Kyushu over the weekend through July 21.

The Japan Meteorological Agency is continuing a landslide warning as the heavy rainfall is expected to continue on July 22.

Fukuoka and Saga prefectures experienced record heavy rainfall of more than 300 millimeters over 24 hours on July 20 and 21.

In Fukuoka Prefecture, an evacuation order equivalent to Level 4 on the 5-level emergency scale of flooding and landslide was issued to 57,000 residents in 22,000 households in parts of the cities of Kurume and Asakura and the entire town of Chikuzen.

On a prefectural road in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, at around 11:30 p.m. on July 20, a pedestrian reported that a compact vehicle had hit a fallen pine tree.

Eleven-year-old Tenko Kawasaki, an elementary school student, who was sitting in the car’s front passenger seat, was taken to a hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival with severe chest injuries.

His mother, Asuka Kawasaki, 37, suffered minor injuries.

Police investigating the accident believes that the tree was toppled by strong winds and rain.

The heavy rain was brought by Typhoon No. 5 before it continued on to the Korean Peninsula. In addition, a high-pressure system in the Pacific Ocean brought warm and humid air into the area and torrential rain.

The JMA announced a record-breaking amount of rain for a short period in Kurume, as well as the city of Tosu and the town of Miyaki of Saga Prefecture, as 110 mm of rain is believed to have fallen as of 5:50 a.m. on July 21.

In the 24 hours through 2:10 p.m. on July 21, Tosu recorded 323 mm of rain, while 306.5 mm was measured in Kurume. Both were records.

In Kurume, a 94-year-old woman who was trying to evacuate fell and suffered a fractured sternum. According to the Fukuoka prefectural government, landslides occurred at four locations.

Four cases of inundation above floor level in homes and 38 cases of damage such as flooded roads were reported.

In Kurume, cars were left abandoned and others raised sprays of water as they were driven slowly through flooded roads.

A shopping mall in Ogori, adjacent to Kurume, was forced to temporarily close as the surrounding area was flooded.

Last July, the mall was flooded during heavy rain, forcing it to shut down for more than two months.

Rainfall totals of 120-150 mm over 24 hours are expected by noon on July 22 in northern Kyushu.