Japan Meteorological Agency warned on Friday of the most serious level 5 risk alerts in the western prefecture of Hiroshima, citing unprecedented rains in the region and imminent risk of floods and other disasters.

The agency said in a statement that the rain front could stay over the country for about a week.

On Thursday, hundreds of thousands of residents of Nagasaki and other parts of Kyushu island in southwest Japan were asked to evacuate to avoid floods and the risk of landslides caused by torrential rain.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s office set up a disaster control centre on Friday to handle potential disasters.