Authorities in a landslide-hit Japanese holiday town are holding out hope of locating at least 64 residents after rescue teams spent Monday trawling through the muddy debris looking for survivors.

Rescuers in Japan's Atami wade through streams of murky water and move large blocks of timber and other detritus out of the way
Rescuers in Japan's Atami wade through streams of murky water and move large blocks of timber and other detritus out of the way AFP / CHARLY TRIBALLEAU

Soldiers and emergency workers used hand-held poles and mechanical diggers in the desperate search, two days after a torrent of earth slammed down a mountainside and through part of the hot-spring resort of Atami in central Japan.

Rescue operations were suspended in the evening and will resume early Tuesday, city officials said.

Rescue workers 'are doing their best to rescue as many people as possible, as soon as possible', Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says
Rescue workers 'are doing their best to rescue as many people as possible, as soon as possible', Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says AFP / CHARLY TRIBALLEAU

Four people have been confirmed dead, although officials are struggling to pinpoint the whereabouts of dozens as they scour the wreckage of 130 homes and other buildings that were destroyed.

Pylons were toppled, vehicles buried and buildings tipped from their foundations in the disaster, with aerial footage from the mountaintop showing a stark brown wedge gouged out of the green hillside.

Much of Japan is currently in its annual rainy season
Much of Japan is currently in its annual rainy season JIJI PRESS / STR

"As of today, at least 64 people are still unaccounted for," the city's disaster-management spokesman Yuta Hara told AFP after the city released their names in a bid to gather information about their status.

The weather agency forecast more heavy rain in the wider region, warning that more landslides could take place
The weather agency forecast more heavy rain in the wider region, warning that more landslides could take place AFP / CHARLY TRIBALLEAU

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the focus was still on finding survivors, with hundreds of rescue workers "doing their best to rescue as many people as possible, as soon as possible".

The Saturday landslide descended in several violent waves during Japan's annual rainy season, following days of intense downpours in and around Atami.

Concerns are growing that dozens of people may be missing following the landslide
Concerns are growing that dozens of people may be missing following the landslide AFPTV / Quentin TYBERGHIEN

Survivors at a nearby evacuation centre told AFP on Sunday of their panic when the landslide began.

"When I opened the door, everyone was rushing into the street and a policeman came up to me and said: 'What are you doing here, you have to hurry, everyone is evacuating!'" resident Kazuyo Yamada said.

"So I went out in the rain in a hurry, without changing, with just a bag."

Rescuers on Monday took advantage of a break in the rain to continue their search, wading through streams of murky water and moving blocks of timber and other debris out of the way.

Non-compulsory evacuation orders have been issued to more than 35,700 people across Japan, mostly in the Shizuoka region, including Atami, which is around 90 kilometres (55 miles) southwest of Tokyo.

The weather agency forecast heavy rain in the wider region, warning that more landslides could occur.

Atami reportedly recorded more rainfall in 48 hours than it usually does for the whole of July, and survivors told local media they had never experienced such strong rain in their lives.

Scientists say climate change is intensifying Japan's rainy season because a warmer atmosphere holds more water.