The death toll from Typhoon Dujuan’s heavy rain in eastern Japan has risen to six, with six people still missing after floods and landslides….reports Asian Lite News Desk
The death toll from heavy rain brought by Typhoon Dujuan in eastern Japan rose to six on Tuesday, while six people remained missing after landslides and flooding struck the Kanto region a day earlier, local media reported.
Five of the deaths were confirmed in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. One of the victims was a man in his 50s who died after falling into a bamboo grove while operating heavy machinery to clear mud and debris from a landslide.
The other four victims in Chiba were people in their 70s and 80s, according to Kyodo News.
Another death was reported in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, where a woman in her 60s died on Monday after a landslide struck her home and sent mud into the building.
Police and firefighters continued search operations for the six people still missing, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Typhoon Dujuan approached Japan’s eastern Pacific coast on Monday before moving away, bringing record rainfall to parts of the Kanto region and the Izu Islands. The heavy rain triggered multiple landslides and caused rivers to overflow.
In Oshima Town in the Izu Islands, rainfall reached 832 mm in the 48 hours to 8 p.m. local time on Monday, according to public broadcaster NHK. The figure was more than 2.4 times the town’s average rainfall for the entire month of September and was the highest recorded since records began.
Authorities temporarily issued the highest level landslide warning for Oshima on Monday as the torrential rain increased the risk of further landslides.
The typhoon struck during Japan’s Silver Week holiday period, creating particular difficulties in Chiba, where intense rainfall flooded homes and roads.
Power supplies were also disrupted, with about 58,000 households temporarily losing electricity early Tuesday, Kyodo News reported.
The storm caused widespread disruption to air travel, with All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines cancelling more than 270 flights, mainly services to and from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. About 40,000 passengers were affected by the cancellations.
Authorities continued to warn residents in affected areas to remain alert as search and rescue operations continued following the flooding and landslides.
