Japan floods: Toll rises to 199, dozens missing, says govt spokesperson; Shinzo Abe to visit affected areas tomorrow

Tokyo: The toll in record rains that have devastated parts of Japan rose Thursday to 199, with dozens still missing, a top government spokesman said. Yoshihide Suga said search operations were continuing after the worst weather-related disaster in Japan in over three decades. [caption id=“attachment_4696771” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Rescuers conduct a search operation for missing persons in Kumano town in Hiroshima, Japan. AP[/caption] Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who visited one of the worst-affected regions on Wednesday, plans to travel on Friday to another area hit by deadly flooding and landslides after the rains, Suga said. Abe cancelled a four-stop foreign trip due this week as the death toll in the disaster rose. Hopes for finding survivors have faded a week after the rains began, even though the downpours have now stopped and flood waters have receded. At least 10,000 people who evacuated their homes or were rescued are now living in shelters, and the government has pledged to set aside emergency funding to help people return home. “We will do everything we can so that people will not have to continue living in uncomfortable situations in shelters,” Abe said at a morning meeting.