Rescue operation on after powerful typhoon dashed heavy rainfall
WEB DESK
At least 18 people have died due to Typhoon Hagibis in Kanagawa, Tochigi, Gunma, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Chiba and Saitama prefectures of Japan. Thirteen people are missing, and at least 149 are injured, according to a report by NHK. Officials are now trying to determine the total number of casualties.
Rescue efforts for people stranded in flooded areas are underway. Typhoon Hagibis made landfall south of Tokyo yesterday and moved northward.
Some train service in the Tokyo area, much of which had halted, resumed from early morning, although others were undergoing safety checks and were expected to start later in the day. The usually crowded train stations and streets of Tokyo were abandoned as people were advised to stay indoors. But life was quickly returning to normal under clear sunny skies.
About 17 thousand police and military troops had been standing ready for rescue operations, under government orders. Evacuation centres had been set up in coastal towns, and tens of thousands of people had evacuated, praying their homes were still there after the storm passed.