Tokyo, Sep 21 (IANS): Unprecedented rainfall hit Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture on Saturday, leaving one person dead and seven missing, local media reported.

Prefectural authorities said one person died and seven were missing after being swept away by rivers in Suzu, Wajima and Noto, the three municipalities where an emergency rain warning was issued, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting public broadcaster NHK.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) earlier in the day issued its highest-level alert for heavy rain in the cities of Wajima, Suzu and the town of Noto.

Many houses in the area were flooded, with around 3,100 households in Wajima, 1,200 in Suzu and 960 in Noto experiencing power outages, the report said.

Eleven rivers in the prefecture flooded and overflowed their banks and over 6,000 households are without electricity, it added.

JMA official Satoshi Sugimoto said, "This level of downpours has never been experienced in this region. Residents must secure their safety immediately. The risk to their lives is imminent."

The defence ministry dispatched Self-Defence Force personnel to Wajima, Suzu and Noto, following a request from Ishikawa Prefecture, the report said.