Rescuers Search Through Mud for Dozens Missing in Japanese Floods That Have Killed 122

Rescuers are combing through mud-covered hillsides and near riverbanks to look for dozens still missing after heavy rains caused flooding and mudslides in southwestern Japan, where the death toll has risen to 122.

Officials and reports say more than 80 people are still unaccounted for, many of them in the hardest-hit Hiroshima area. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said that 122 people have been confirmed dead as of early Tuesday.

Several days of heavy rainfall that weather officials have called historic set off flooding and landslides in widespread areas of western Japan, including Hiroshima, Okayama and Ehime prefectures.

Thousands of people have evacuated their homes. Many returned to on their homes and begin cleanup Monday after the rain stopped and weather warnings were lifted.