Rescuers search for missing after heavy rains lash Japan

JOSO, Japan -- Rescue workers searched through a flooded city near Tokyo today, hunting for missing people a day after raging floodwaters broke through an embankment, washed away houses and forced dozens of people to rooftops.

Dozens of residents stranded in heavily flooded Ishige district in Joso City were airlifted by military helicopters and arrived at an athletic field in the city, carrying a bare minimum of clothes and some food in shopping bags, some of them without shoes.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but rescue officials said they were overwhelmed by pleas for help.

More than 30,000 people were ordered to flee their homes, and hundreds more were stranded by the water.

As of late Thursday, more than 3,500 people were staying in evacuation centers.

City officials said 22 people lost contact after requesting rescue and were believed missing.

Three others were injured, one seriously.

The flooding came after two days of heavy rain, with the Kinugawa River breaking through a flood berm, sending water gushing into the eastern half of Joso, a city of 60,000 people about 30 miles northeast of Tokyo.

Aerial videos showed a wide swath of the city underwater, more than one story deep in some places.

The rains came on the heels of Tropical Storm Etau, which caused flooding and landslides elsewhere Wednesday as it crossed central Japan.

The water had subsided somewhat as the sun came out today, but the city still was largely flooded, and it was not known when the evacuees would be able to return home.