TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan warned of further life-threatening heavy rain on Kyushu, the southwesternmost of the country’s main islands, after days of downpours and said people must evacuate.

More than 200 people were killed in western Japan last July, when prolonged heavy rain triggered landslides and floods.

“I would like residents to make full preparation for evacuation and recognize that a situation where people need to protect their own lives is getting near,” an official at the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters.

Evacuation advisories were issued for 860,000 residents in Kagoshima prefecture, southern Kyushu, Kyodo news agency said.

Part of Satsumasendai city saw 415.5 mm (16 inches) of rain over 48 hours from Sunday morning, a record for the area for July.