Tokyo   -   Record heavy rain forced the evacuation of thousands of people across parts of northern Japan and killed at least two, as rivers burst their banks washing away bridges and cars, officials and media reports said Friday.

A rescuer is among the dead after the downpours in Yamagata and Akita prefectures on the main island of Honshu. Two other people, including another rescuer, are missing.

In Yamagata, where two rivers burst their banks, one police officer in his 20s who had been searching for a missing person was found “submerged” and later confirmed dead, a local police spokesman told AFP.  Another police officer also tasked with a search operation, remains unaccounted for, the spokesman said.

In northern Akita region, one body was also found, media reports said, with police trying to ascertain whether it was that of an 86-year-old man earlier reported missing.

A man in his 60s also remains missing after a landslide at roadworks in Akita’s Yuzawa city, according to media.

Two parts of Yamagata prefecture recorded the most rain in 24 hours since records began in 1976, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said Friday.

Shinjo recorded 389 millimetres (15 inches) and Sakata 289 millimetres.