5 dead, around 100 injured as Typhoon Hagibis lashes Japan
2019-10-13
A view of a fallen electric post near damaged houses after a tornado caused by Typhoon Hagibis in Ichihara, Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Oct 12, 2019. [Photo/IC]
TOKYO - Five people have died, and around 100 people injured as of Sunday morning as Typhoon Hagibis ripped through Japan, including the Tokyo metropolitan area, leaving more than 250,000 households in Tokyo and nearby regions without power.
Meanwhile, 11 people were missing across the country, according to a Kyodo News tally based on information provided by rescuers and other authorities. According to an NHK tally, the number of the missing was 17.
A boy looks at high waves generated by Typhoon Hagibis in Atawa, Mie prefecture, Japan, on Oct 12, 2019. [Photo/IC]
The country remained at its highest alert level as the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued an emergency warning in the afternoon, saying heavy rainfall "with a level of intensity observed only once every few decades" is predicted in Tokyo and the six surrounding prefectures of Gunma, Saitama, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Nagano and Shizuoka.
The agency issued new warnings of severe rainfall for Ibaraki, Tochigi, Fukushima, Miyagi and Niigata prefectures at 7:50 pm local time, while the warning for Shizuoka was lifted at 10:23 pm local time.
A house is damaged by gusting winds in Ichihara near Tokyo on Oct 12, 2019, amid an expected arrival of Typhoon Hagibis. [Photo/IC]
Typhoon Hagibis, meaning "swift" in the Philippine language Tagalog, could possibly bring rainfall amounts not seen since a deadly typhoon in 1958, the JMA said.
The agency has downgraded Typhoon Hagibis' intensity to "powerful" from "very powerful." As of 8:00 pm local time, the typhoon had an atmospheric pressure of 960 hectopascals at its center and was packing winds of up to 198 km per hour.
A house and car are damaged by gusting winds in Ichihara near Tokyo on Oct 12, 2019, amid an expected arrival of Typhoon Hagibis. [Photo/IC]
The water levels in several rivers, including the Tama and the Arakawa in the metropolitan area, have risen dangerously due to the heavy rainfall brought by the typhoon, Japanese authorities said.
So far, at least five rivers including those in Tokyo's Hachioji and Ome have overflowed, local governments said.
Tama River in Tokyo is swollen on Oct 12, 2019, ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Hagibis. [Photo/IC]
Most department stores and supermarkets in Tokyo area were closed on Saturday, while some shops near stations and convenience stores issued notices that they will close in the afternoon and will remain shut down until 2:00 or 3:00 pm local time on Sunday.
Shinkansen bullet train service between Tokyo and Nagoya was suspended on Saturday. East Japan Railway Co. suspended its Tohoku and Hokuriku Shinkansen services in the afternoon and gradually reduced train operations in the Tokyo metropolitan area from Saturday morning and halted services around 1:00 pm local time.
A view of a fallen electric post near damaged houses after a tornado caused by Typhoon Hagibis in Ichihara, Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Oct 12, 2019. [Photo/IC]
