Rescue workers, police and troops in Japan battled Monday to reach people feared trapped by devastating flooding and landslides after days of record rainfall killed at least 75 people.

As the rains finally began to ease, the government said several dozen more people remain missing.

And the death toll was expected to rise further, with local media reporting nearly 90 people killed and over 50 others unaccounted for.

The rains are the deadliest weather disaster in Japan since two typhoons that hit back-to-back in August and September 2011, killing nearly 100 people. AFP