Japan's flood death toll rises to 157

Torrential rain unleashed floods and landslides in western Japan last week, bringing death and destruction, and prompting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to cancel an overseas trip to deal with the disaster.

While rescuers have arrived to clear the roads, accumulated mud and debris of landslides have caused new surge of floodwaters in residential areas of Hiroshima.

More than 200,000 remain without water under scorching sun, with temperatures set to hit 33 degree C in some of the hardest-hit areas. The government has set aside 631 million USD in infrastructure funds to respond to disasters, with 3.15 billion USD in reserve.