Japan floods death toll nears 200 | Typhoon Maria weakens in China

The death toll in the Japan floods, believed to be the worst weather-related disaster in the country in over three decades, has reportedly risen to 199. Dozens of people are still missing, a top government spokesperson said.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has cancelled his four-stop foreign trip to survey the damage and supervise relief operations across flood-affected areas.

As per reports, more than 200,000 households have no access to water and 10,000 people are living in shelters after evacuating their homes.

The floods had also set off a series of landslides across Western Japan. 70,000 military, police personnel and firefighters are engaged in search operations.

In a related news, Typhoon Maria is threatening parts of China with heavy rainfall as it continues to weaken to a tropical storm. The worst of the conditions were passed to south Shanghai where a few windy showers were experienced on Wednesday.

The US Department of State has issued a warning for its citizens in eastern China even as the risk of damaging winds remains under control.

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