Helicopters Pluck Residents to Safety as Rains Lash Japan

Raging floodwaters broke through a flood berm Thursday and swamped a city north of Tokyo, washing away houses, forcing dozens of people to rooftops to await helicopter rescues and leaving one man clinging for his life to a utility pole

A man carries belongings through a flooded street in Oyama, Tochigi prefecture, northeast of Tokyo Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. Kyodo News via AP

JOSO, Japan—Raging floodwaters broke through a flood berm Thursday and swamped a city north of Tokyo, washing away houses, forcing dozens of people to rooftops to await helicopter rescues and leaving one man clinging for his life to a utility pole.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but rescue officials said they were overwhelmed by pleas for help.

As heavy rain pummeled Japan for a second straight day, the Kinugawa River broke through a flood berm at 12:50 p.m., sending water gushing into the eastern half of Joso, a city of 60,000 people about 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Tokyo.

Houses are flooded due to heavy rain in Koshigaya, Saitama prefecture, near Tokyo Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015.)