More than 100 people have died and at least 79 people are missing after torrential rain caused floods and landslides in western Japan, reported NHK World on Monday. Officials say the toll may rise as the full extent of the damage is not yet known.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned the public of the continuing danger of landslides and flooding, reported The Japan Times. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency reportedly issued evacuation orders to 5.9 million people in 19 prefectures. Over 30,000 people have taken shelter at evacuation centres as of Sunday afternoon.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday said that rescuers were “working against time”. “There are still many people missing and others in need of help,” BBC quoted him as saying. Abe also said that displaced people will be moved out of shelters to private rental housing or public accommodation.

Parts of western Japan have received three times the usual rainfall for the whole of July since Thursday, reported BBC. “We’ve never experienced this kind of rain before,” a weather official said.

Hiroshima Prefecture is the worst-hit, with 44 people reported dead. In Okayama Prefecture, more than 1,000 people were trapped on the roofs of buildings that were submerged by floods following the bursting of three dikes on the nearby Oda River. Most of them were rescued by boat or helicopter.

Yamaguchi, Kyoto, Gifu, Shiga, Hyogo, Kochi, Fukuoka and Kagoshima prefectures have also been affected by the downpour. Around 2,67,000 houses suffered water outages in 11 prefectures as of Sunday.

The downpour has also affected operations at manufacturing units of automaker Mazda Motor Corporation and Daihatsu Motor Company, a mini-vehicle making unit of Toyota Motor Corporation. Operations in factories in Kyoto, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi were suspended to ensure safety of employees and because they were unable to procure parts.