Thousands of people remained stranded in western Japan yesterday as the death toll from a fierce typhoon rose to 42, heaping more misery on a nation recovering from the March earthquake and tsunami.

Torrential rain brought by powerful Typhoon Talas, which made landfall on Saturday and was the deadliest in seven years, caused rivers to swell and triggered floods and landslides that swept away buildings, homes and roads.

More than 50 people were still missing, local authorities said, while Japanese media reported another 100 or so could not be contacted in hard-hit Wakayama prefecture.

In Shingu city and Nachikatsuura town in Wakayama prefecture, “a considerable number of people have yet to be reached for confirmation of safety”, a local police official said without elaborating further.

New Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who was sworn in last week, plans to visit the affected areas on Friday to inspect the damage from the deadly typhoon, a top government spokesman said.