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Typhoon Hagibis: Two dead as most powerful storm for decades hits Japan

Flights are cancelled and train services suspended as the country faces the heaviest rain and winds for 60 years.

Sunday 13 October 2019 04:49, UK

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Flooded streets as Japan braces for typhoon
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Two people have died and nine others are missing after Typhoon Hagibis brought fierce winds and record-breaking rainfall to Japan.

A 50-year-old man was killed near Tokyo in a car overturned by huge gusts, while another person died after being washed away in a car.

Those missing were caught up in flooding and landslides, while 80 injuries have been reported after gales tore the roofs off a number of houses.

A residential area is flooded in Ise, Mie Prefecture, central Japan, ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Hagibis, in this photo taken by Kyodo October 12, 2019. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. JAPAN OUT.
Image: Floods in Ise as the typhoon makes landfall
A residential area is flooded in Ise, Mie Prefecture, central Japan, ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Hagibis, in this photo taken by Kyodo October 12, 2019. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. JAPAN OUT.
Image: Ise, Mie Prefecture, where rescuers use a rubber dingy to look for people who need help
Destroyed houses, cars and power poles, which according to local media were believed to be caused by a tornado, are seen as Typhoon Hagibis approaches
Image: Storm force winds have already wreaked havoc ahead of the typhoon hitting Japan

Several people are missing in a town near Tokyo after a landslide destroyed two houses.

Up to 30,000 properties may have been damaged or destroyed.

More than 270,000 households lost power, public broadcaster NHK said.

About six million people were advised to leave their homes before the typhoon had even arrived.

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The streets of Tokyo were deserted as those who remained stayed indoors.

Shops, factories and subways have been shut down as a precaution.

More than 1,600 flights have also been cancelled
Image: More than 1,600 flights have been cancelled
As much as 50cm of rain could hit some parts of Japan. Pic: NOAA
Image: As much as 50cm of rain could hit some parts of Japan. Pic: NOAA

The Japanese government said the storm could be the strongest to hit Tokyo since 1958.

Yasushi Kajihara, from Japan's meteorological agency, said: "Be ready for rainfall of the kind that you have never experienced. Take all measures necessary to save your life."

An earthquake measuring 5.3, according to the US Geological Survey, shook the areas which had been drenched by rainfall. The earthquake was in the ocean off Chiba, near Tokyo.

Organisers of the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix have cancelled all practice and qualifying sessions, while two matches of the Rugby World Cup have also been scratched.

England's match against France was cancelled, and the team has returned to Miyazaki where they held their pre-tournament training camp. New Zealand's match against Italy was also cancelled.

TOKYO, JAPAN - OCTOBER 12: A man covers over a doorway to a pachinko parlour ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Hagibis on October 12, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. Typhoon Hagibis is the most powerful typhoon to hit Japan this year and has been classed by the Japan Meteorological Agency as a 'violent typhoon' - the highest category on Japans typhoon scale. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Image: A man covers a doorway to prepare for the typhoon
Empty shelves greet shoppers at a convenience store in the Shinagawa district of Tokyo on October 12, 2019, as the effects of Typhoon Hagibis begin to be felt in Japan's capital. - Powerful Typhoon Hagibis on October 12 claimed its first victim even before making landfall, as Japanese weather authorities issued a top-level emergency rain warning and millions were issued non-compulsory evacuation orders. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Image: Empty shelves in Tokyo as people buy up supplies for the storm

Japan's rugby team had to wade through flood waters to get to their sodden pitch for practice, as their match against Scotland on Sunday could still go ahead if organisers believe it is safe.

World Rugby told fans of Namibia and Canada not to travel to Kamashi ahead of Sunday's planned match, as they consider whether it should be cancelled. The teams have also been advised of potential cancellation.

More than 1,600 flights have been cancelled and train services suspended.

Tokyo Disneyland is also closed.

Some 17,000 police and military troops have been called up, standing ready for rescue operations, while dozens of evacuation centres have opened in coastal towns.

People have taken refuge on the floors of evacuation centres, hoping their homes will be still there when they return.

Yuka Ikemura, a 24-year-old nursery school teacher, is in an evacuation centre in Tokyo with her three-year-old son, eight-month-old daughter, and their pet rabbit.

She said: "I've got small children to take care of and we live on the first floor of an old apartment.

"We brought with us the bare necessities. I'm scared to think about when we will have run out of diapers and milk."

A typhoon that hit the Tokyo region in 1958 left more than 1,200 people dead and half a million houses flooded.

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