At least five dead as rain floods Chiba Prefecture

Record-breaking rainfall flooded cities east of Tokyo overnight, killing at least five people, injuring more than two dozen others and stranding thousands, authorities said yesterday.As the deluge subsided, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) downgraded its most severe heavy-rain warning in more than a dozen municipalities in Chiba Prefecture while forecasting more rain later yesterday.The prefecture saw unprecedented rainfall levels on Thursday, with 1.5cm in just one hour in Chiba City and 9.7cm in one hour in Sakura City, JMA said. Cars pass a person on a flooded road near Chiba metro station in Japan on Friday. Photo: AFP Photos and TV footage showed widespread damage, with homes, cars and parts of railway tracks filled with muddy water. Roads and dozens of homes were also flooded an