Soaring temperatures and widespread water shortages in flood-hit areas of Japan have prompted fears of disease outbreaks, as the death toll topped 200.

More than 70,000 rescue workers are scouring through debris and mud in a bid to find people who are still missing following Japan’s worst weather disaster in 36 years.

Rainy skies have been replaced by daily temperatures above 30C and high humidity, with thousands of evacuees camping out in temporary shelters and on mats laid on the floor in school gymnasiums without air conditioning.

Rescue efforts have been hampered by high temperatures causing the mud to harden, while nearly 240,000 homes were also still without water a week after torrential rains deluged central and southwestern Japan.

Last week’s record downpours caused widespread landslides, flooding and burst riverbanks, forcing more than two million residents across 29 prefectures to flee their homes and leaving tens of thousands without water and electricity.