A dozen rivers in the region, on the west coast of central Japan that was hit by a large quake on New Year’s Day, had burst their banks as at 11am (10am Singapore time), Land Ministry official Masaru Kojima said.

One person was killed, three people were missing and two people were seriously injured in Ishikawa, the region’s government said in a statement, with two of the missing reportedly carried away by strong river currents, Strait Times reported.

Japan’s Kyodo news agency said as many as 10 people were missing in Wajima.

Many buildings were inundated, with landslides blocking some roadways, some 6,000 households without power and an unknown number of households without running water, the Ishikawa government said in a statement.

Communication services were also cut for some people, operators said.

The cities of Wajima and Suzu, as well as Noto town, ordered about 44,700 residents to evacuate, local officials said. Another 16,700 residents in Niigata and Yamagata prefectures north of Ishikawa were also told to evacuate, the fire and disaster management agency said.