Japan landslide: Death toll rises to 39 in Hiroshima

Heavy rain has hampered rescue operations in Japan's Hiroshima prefecture where a deadly landslide killed at least 39 people, the BBC reported.

The number of people missing has jumped to 51, officials say, after police cross-checked information with fire crews, Kyodo news agency reported.

About 3,000 rescue personnel are working in the area but rain on Thursday night suspended the search.

Torrential rains have led to an evacuation for up to 100,000.

Officials fear that more landslides will occur.

The landslides happened after the equivalent of a month's rain fell in the 24 hours up to Wednesday morning, Japan's weather agency said.

Dozens of homes in a residential area close to a mountain on the outskirts of Hiroshima were buried.

The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes says with the leap in the death toll, the eventual number of victims could be close to 100.