TOKYO. Aug 7: At least 40 people were dead and 25 others missing after torrential rains triggered flash floods and lata slides in southwestern Japan Friday, police reported Saturday, reports AP

Police tn Kagoshima prefecture. or state, said 22 others were Injured, one of them a woman rescued Friday afternoon from her car trapped un der tons of mud In a landslide 16 hours earlier

Police said hardest htt was the prefectural capital of Kagoshima City, about 1.000 kilometres (625 miles) southwest of Tokyo, where 259.5 mil-limeUes (10.2 Inches) of rain fell

on Friday atone.

That exceeded the city's pre vlous record rainfall of 216 8 millimetres (8.5 Inches) in a day. on Aug 8. 1943.

Officials said death toll was expected to swell as thousand* of police, firefighters and army troops dug through huge piles of mud and debris at dozens of sites tn and around Kagoshima

The city of 1.75 million people Is on Kyushu, the south emmost of Japan's four main islands. Kyushu Is vulnerable to strong storms and typhoons often accompanying heavy rains between July and September

Kagoshima la In the same area where a total of 30 people

were killed In storms, landslides and other flood related accidents Sunday and Monday

No Immediate relief was In sight, forecasters said Robyn, or the seventh typhoon spawned In Ihe Pacific this year, was approaching Kyushu, expected to dump heavy rains Sunday and Monday, they said

Up to 206 millimetres (8.1 Inches) of torrential rain In four hours Friday afternoon and evening triggered the Ootas and mudslides, throwing more than a dozen ears and trucks from com tai roads Into Kagoshima Bay and crushing or Inundating hundreds of homes and buildings. Mid a police spokesman.