The Japanese government confirmed Monday that at least 126 people have died and approximately 90 are missing from the heavy rains, floods, and mudslides that have swept the island nation.
A three-year-old girl was among the deceased, her body reportedly discovered in the city of Fukuyama after the collapse of a reservoir washed her away from her family’s home.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga reportedly said the majority of missing people were from the Hiroshima area, which was hardest hit by the storms.
According to the Japan Times, the number of casualties is expected to rise as meteorologists anticipate more landslides and more flooding.
Since Japan is located on the “Ring of Fire,” it is subject to many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reportedly canceled a trip to Europe and the Middle East to respond to the disaster. The New York Times noted that he was supposed to travel abroad at the end of this week.
The worst natural disaster Japan has experienced in recent times was in 2011, when a magnitude 8.9 earthquake, located 231 miles northeast of Tokyo, struck Japan and caused a tsunami.
On Saturday, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake reportedly hit Japan just outside of Tokyo. However, no tsunami warning was issued.
“We temporarily closed the runways but resumed operation after confirming there was no damage. The quake was fairly strong but there was no panic at the airport,” a spokesman for Narita International Airport outside of Tokyo said.
Survivors reportedly recounted stories of landslides.
Ryutaro Hirakawa, 18, told the Associated Press that he fled his house after smelling a strange odor coming from the ground. “The smell of soil and grass was so strong when I opened the window,” Hirakawa said. “There were landslides.”
Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.