Published 08:39 IST, October 13th 2019
Japan: Typhoon Hagibis wrecks Tokyo; at least 7 dead, 15 missing
Making landfall in Japan on Saturday evening, Typhoon Hagibis has wrecked Tokyo leaving at least seven people dead with more than 15 reported to be missing
Japan’s public broadcaster NHK revealed on Sunday that at least seven people had been killed, while more than 15 are reported to be missing in the wake of the most powerful typhoon 'Hagibis' hitting Japan in decades. Tokyo has been paralysed with significant flooding and nearly 4,25,000 homes are without electricity. The deceased individuals lived in the Chiba, Gunma, Kanagawa and Fukushima areas surrounding Tokyo. This included a senior citizen found in a flooded apartment in Kawasaki. The authorities had already warned millions of people to evacuate.
Risk of further flooding
In Fukushima and Nagano, people have been forced to climb onto the roofs of their houses for their safety after severe flooding, as per reports. At least one person was rescued along the Chikuma river by a helicopter. Part of a road was swept away by the flooding. Nearly 100 people have sustained injuries due to the typhoon, the strongest one to hit Tokyo since 1958. This has resulted in record-breaking rainfall in many areas, including the resort town of Hakone with 939.5 mm of rain over a period of 24 hours. Hagibis, which means ‘speed’ in the Philippine language Tagalog made landfall on the Honshu island of Japan on Saturday evening. Thereafter, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake rocked Tokyo. As 1.5 million people live below sea level in Tokyo, experts have warned that further flooding could occur. However, the major bullet trains would operate as per schedule.
Typhoon Faxai
In September, Typhoon Faxai destroyed nearly 30,000 houses in the east of Tokyo and caused extensive power outages. The capital’s main airports Haneda and Narita stopped functioning. More than a thousand flights were cancelled at that juncture. Many people living in Tokyo, had to take shelter in temporary evacuation facilities. In the meanwhile, Typhoon Hagibis had resulted in the cancellation of the Rugby World Cup match between Namibia and Canada in Kamaishi. Two matches were cancelled on Saturday. The organisers of the Formula One Grand Prix also decided to postpone their qualifying sessions scheduled for Saturday.
Updated 09:39 IST, October 13th 2019