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Typhoon Hagibis: Rescuers dig for missing in mudslides as 53 killed

The army is helping find survivors and to clear up after Typhoon Hagibis left thousands of homes damaged and without power.

NAGANO, JAPAN - OCTOBER 15: A man pushes a wheelbarrow after clearing belongings from a property that was damaged by heavy flooding caused by Typhoon Hagibis, on October 15, 2019 in Hoyasu near Nagano, Japan. Japan has mobilised over 100,000 rescue workers after Typhoon Hagibis, the most powerful storm in decades, swept across the country killing 66 people and leaving thousands injured and homeless. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Image: Huge damage in Nagano, Japan
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Rescue crews in Japan are digging through mudslides and searching rivers for those missing after a typhoon killed 53 people.

Typhoon Hagibis was downgraded to a tropical storm on Sunday but has caused huge amounts of destruction, and the death toll is expected to rise.

Another nine people are presumed dead and around 20 are missing.

NAGANO, JAPAN - OCTOBER 14: Rescue workers sit in the back of a truck as it drives on a road that was flooded by Typhoon Hagibis, on October 14, 2019 in Nagano, Japan. Japan has mobilised 110,000 rescuer workers after Typhoon Hagibis, the most powerful storm in decades, swept across the country leaving 37 dead and around 20 missing. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Image: Rescue workers sit in the back of a truck as it drives on a road that was flooded by Typhoon Hagibi
CHIBA, JAPAN - OCTOBER 13: Buildings lie in ruins after they were hit by a tornado shortly before the arrival of Typhoon Hagibis, on October 13, 2019 in Chiba, Japan. At least five people are reported dead and many others are missing after Typhoon Hagibis, one of the most powerful storms in decades, swept across Japan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Image: Buildings lie in ruins after they were hit by a tornado shortly before the arrival of Typhoon Hagibis

The damage caused - which has left 34,000 homes still without power, 110,000 without running water, and some 30,000 people in shelters - has forced Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to consider a special emergency budget.

He has pledged the government will do all it can to help those who have had to evacuate their homes, adding: "We put the people's lives first."

Helicopters, boats and thousands of troops have been deployed to rescue those stranded in flooded homes.

Rescue crews have been paddling in boats to reach half-submerged homes in badly flooded areas, calling out to anyone left stranded.

More on Japan

The woman was not strapped into a rescue helicopter properly
Image: A woman died after falling from a rescue helicopter
Rescue efforts for people stranded in flooded areas were in full force after Typhoon Hagibis wrought destruction across wide swathes of Japan
Image: The typhoon was the worst to hit Japan in decades

On Sunday a woman in her 70s died after she was accidentally dropped 40m (131ft) from a helicopter rescuing her from an area devastated by Typhoon Hagibis.

The Tokyo Fire Department admitted the pensioner had not been strapped in properly while being airlifted in Iwaki city in Fukushima prefecture.

Officials apologised during a news conference, bowing deeply and for a long time, in accordance with Japanese custom.

Since Typhoon Hagibis made landfall south of Tokyo on Saturday evening, an estimated 1,283 homes have flooded and 517 more damaged.

The typhoon brought record amounts of rain in some spots, causing more than 20 rivers to overflow.

Local residents sit in a boat as they are rescued from a flooded residential area following Typhoon Hagibis in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, October 13, 2019. Pic: Kyodo
Image: People being rescued in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture. Pic: Kyodo
A collapsed railway bridge is seen over Chikuma river swollen by Typhoon Hagibis in Ueda, central Japan, October 13, 2019. Pic: Kyodo
Image: A railway bridge collapsed over Chikuma river in Ueda, central Japan. Pic: Kyodo

In Kanagawa prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, one metre of rain was recorded over 48 hours.

At least five crew members died after a cargo ship sank off Japan's coast - and four other members of the 12-strong crew were brought to safety.

The ship had been anchored off the coast of Kawasaki city, south of Tokyo, when it lost contact on Saturday, the transport ministry said.

As the typhoon was downgraded to a tropical storm on Sunday, authorities started to help clear up areas where houses have been destroyed and rivers flooded.

A Shinkansen bullet train rail yard is seen flooded due to heavy rains caused by Typhoon Hagibis in Nagano, central Japan, October 13, 2019. Pic: Kyodo
Image: Japan's famous bullet trains in a flooded rail yard in Nagano, central Japan. Pic: Kyodo
The typhoon made landfall on Saturday evening
Image: The typhoon made landfall on Saturday evening

Prime Minister Abe said the government would set up a special disaster team to deal with the devastation, including helping people in evacuation centres and increasing efforts to restore water and electricity.

"Our response must be rapid and appropriate," he said.

Soldiers and firefighters have been deployed throughout Japan as helicopters could be seen rescuing people stranded from higher floors and rooftops of submerged homes.

A rescue helicopter was seen hovering in a flooded area of Nagano prefecture, one of the most severely hit areas after an embankment of the Chikuma River broke.

The aircraft picked up those stranded on the second floor of a home submerged in muddy waters.

Aerial footage showed tractors trying to control the flooding and several people on a rooftop, with one person waving a white cloth to get the attention of a helicopter.

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Canadian rugby team helps typhoon cleanup

The Tama River, which runs by Tokyo, overflowed its banks, flooding homes and other buildings in the area.

Scotland's Rugby World Cup game against Japan, which was won by the home team, went ahead on Sunday despite the typhoon, but the Namibia vs Canada game was cancelled.

All matches on Saturday were cancelled.

Tokyo's airports gradually resumed service on Sunday after shutting down on Saturday due to the high winds and strong rain.