Apple extends free repair to devices in flood-affected Japan

Tokyo: Apple will help the flood-affected Japanese people by undertaking free repair of iPhones, iPads, iPods, Mac computers, Apple Watches and Apple's displays damaged in the torrential rains that hit the western part of the country earlier this month.

If the gadgets were impaired directly by the rain disasters and still fixable, individual users can apply for the free service, The Japan Times reported on Monday.

The Cupertino, California-headquartered tech giant plans to accept requests for free repair of its products until the end of September.

The offer is only for individual users, not for companies or stores using Apple devices for their businesses.

The users also must be residents of municipalities being supported by the central government under the disaster relief act, the report said.

The torrential rain in western Japan caused disasters including floods and mudslides and killed at least 224 people, according to Kyodo News.

Thousands of people were still being evacuated as of last week.