Heavy rainfall on Saturday, September 21, triggered flash flooding and mudslides in several areas of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, which had already been devastated by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake on New Year's Day,

The massive rainfall, followed by landslides and flooding, in the Noto peninsula comes as the region makes a fragile recovery from a devastating 7.5-magnitude earthquake on New Year’s Day. The quake destroyed buildings and triggered tsunami waves and a major fire. At least 374 people lost their lives.

Japanese authorities have ordered tens of thousands of people to evacuate after major flooding was caused by heavy rain. The storms have triggered landslides and led swollen rivers to overflow in Ishikawa prefecture - which is still recovering from a deadly earthquake earlier this year.

Rescuers on Wednesday recovered the body of a ninth victim of severe floods which battered parts of central Japan last week, local media said.Japan is prone to natural disasters and routinely faces serious flooding and landslide damages.