Typhoon Hagibis latest: At least 26 dead and 18 missing after storm batters Japan

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Patrick Grafton-Green17 October 2019

At least 26 people have been killed and 175 injured after Typhoon Hagibis battered Japan causing massive flooding.

Another 18 people are missing, the country's public broadcaster NHK said.

Tens of thousands of troops and rescue workers have been sent to save stranded residents and fight floods caused by one of the worst typhoons in the country's recent history.

Helicopters and boats have been deployed in the rescue effort, including in Tokyo and the surrounding areas.

The huge storm has devastated low-lying land in central and eastern Japan and cut power to almost half a million homes.

Homes seen in muddy waters after an embankment of the Chikuma River broke in Nagano
AP

Public broadcaster NHK said 14 rivers across the country had flooded, some spilling out in more than one spot.

One woman fell to her death from a rescue helicopter.

A baseball stadium is flooded after Typhoon Hagibis, in Kawasaki, near Tokyo
AP

The Tokyo Fire Department said the woman, aged in her 70s, was accidentally dropped 40 meters (131 feet) to the ground while being transported into a rescue helicopter in Iwaki city in Fukushima prefecture, a northern area devastated by the typhoon.

She was rushed to a hospital but died, a department official said.

Rescuers work at a landslide site hit by Typhoon Hagibis, in Tomioka, north of Tokyo
AP

Typhoon Hagibis made landfall south of Tokyo and battered central and northern Japan with torrents of rain and powerful gusts of wind. The typhoon was downgraded to a tropical storm on Sunday.

"The major typhoon has caused immense damage far and wide in eastern Japan," government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters, adding that 27,000 military troops and other crews were taking part in the rescue operation.

Some 425,000 homes were without power, the government said, while at least 14,000 homes had no running water.

Authorities warned of a risk of mudslides, while those whose homes were buried in landslides were among the reported dead. Other fatalities included people who got swept away by raging rivers.

Evacuation centres have been set up in coastal towns with tens of thousands seeking shelter. Kyodo News service said evacuation warnings had been issued to more than six million people.

An evacuee is helped by soldiers in Motomiya, Fukushima prefecture
AP

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe convened an emergency meeting and sent the minister in charge of disaster management to the affected areas.

"I extend my condolences for all those who lost their lives and offer my sympathy to all those impacted by Typhoon No.19 (Hagibis)," Mr Abe said.

"With respect to blackouts, water outage and suspension of transportation services, we intend to exert all-out efforts for the earliest recovery... we ask the public to remain vigilant of landslides and other hazards," he said.

Ruling party politician Fumio Kishida said the government will do its utmost in rescue operations, including making sure those who moved to shelters were taken care of.

"So many risks remain, and it is a reality we must stay on guard," Mr Kishida said on an NHK TV news talk show.

"We must do our utmost. In these times, a disaster can hit anytime."

Landing restrictions at Tokyo's Narita and Haneda airports were lifted but more than 800 flights have reportedly been cancelled, as were some Shinkansen bullet train services to the worst-hit areas.

In Fukushima, north of the capital, Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) reported irregular readings from sensors monitoring water in its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The plant was crippled by a 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Tepco spokeswoman Emi Iwasa said the typhoon triggered 11 leak alerts at the plant. Of those, eight were confirmed as being triggered by rainwater and the rest were still being investigated. Ms Iwasa said the operator had so far not confirmed if any radioactive water leaked into sea.

The Rugby World Cup match between Namibia and Canada, scheduled in Kamaishi, northern Japan, was cancelled as a precautionary measure, but organisers announced Japan will play Scotland later on Sunday.

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