Evacuees in Japan return home after floods

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KYOTO, Japan, July 16 (UPI) -- A quarter-million evacuees began returning home Monday after deadly torrential rains eased in southern and Western Japan.

The weekend rains killed at least 27 people -- mainly on the island of Kyushu, where rains fell at a rate of more than 3.5 inches per hour -- caused flash flooding and landslides, and flooded the ground of the Temple of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, The New York Times reported.

Officials said five people were missing.

The break may be short-lived, forecasters said. The Japan Meteorological Agency said heavy rains were possible in some area, along with the threat for more flooding.

Japanese troops Sunday airlifted supplies to more than 3,000 thousand people stranded in Fukuoka prefecture in southwestern Japan, Voice of America reported.

Photos from Kyoto showed overflowing pond water encroaching on the Golden Pavilion, a Buddhist temple and one of Japan's best known cultural representations, the Times said. The pavilion itself appeared be above the water's reach.