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Japan's Typhoon Etau sparks flooding and evacuations Japan hit by severe flooding and landslides
(about 3 hours later)
Areas of Japan are on high alert as heavy rains and flooding continue for a second day, following Typhoon Etau. Widespread flooding and landslides in north-east Japan have forced more than 90,000 people to abandon their homes.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been advised to evacuate their homes, amid reports of landslides and flooding - one person has been reported missing. The city of Joso, north of the capital, Tokyo, was hit by a wall of water after the Kinugawa River burst its banks. Helicopter rescue teams have been plucking people from rooftops.
Typhoon Etau brought winds of up to 125km/h (78mph) to central Aichi prefecture on Wednesday before moving out to sea. One person has been reported missing in the region and at least 12 are injured.
But heavy rain continued to drench eastern Japan on Thursday. The rains come a day after Typhoon Etau brought winds of up to 125km/h (78mph) to central Aichi prefecture.
"This is a scale of downpour that we have not experienced before. Grave danger could be imminent," the chief forecaster at the Japan Meteorological Agency, Takuya Deshimaru, told an emergency press conference. "This is a scale of downpour that we have not experienced before. Grave danger could be imminent," the chief forecaster at the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Takuya Deshimaru, told an emergency press conference earlier on Thursday.
The hardest-hit area on Thursday was north of the capital, in Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures. The hardest-hit areas have been Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures. Japan's Meteorological Agency had put both regions on its highest level of alert.
The Fire and Disaster and Management Agency said 15 people had been injured, two seriously, both of whom were elderly women knocked over by strong winds. Television footage from Joso in Ibaraki showed people clinging to the rooftops before helicopter rescue teams winched them to safety.
Local media has reported one person missing after a landslide hit a house in Kanuma, Tochigi prefecture. Entire homes and cars were carried away on the torrent as the Kinugawa River burst its banks after two days of heavy rainfall.
Some areas had power outages and parts of Tokyo saw flooding as authorities on Wednesday advised about 900,000 people in the capital and other parts of the country to leave their homes. In Tochigi, more than 500mm (19 inches) of rain fell in 24 hours in places, according to local public broadcaster NHK, which said that was about double what normally falls there throughout the whole of September.
The extreme weather also disrupted transport links, with dozens of flights cancelled and bullet train services partially suspended. Parts of central Tochigi have seen almost 60cm of rain since Monday evening, breaking records.
Many other areas of eastern and north-eastern Japan have also been issued weather warnings, including Fukushima prefecture, home to the still-damaged nuclear plant hit in 2011's earthquake and tsunami.
The downpour overwhelmed the site's drainage pumps, a spokesman for operator Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) said. Huge volumes of water, used to cool the plant's crippled reactors, are being stored at the site.
Landslides and flooding
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 15 people had been injured across Japan. Two were elderly women seriously injured after being knocked over by strong winds.
Local media reported one person missing after a landslide hit a house in Kanuma, Tochigi prefecture.
Some areas had power cuts and transport was disrupted, with many air and train services cancelled or delayed. Some roads were also closed.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the authorities were doing their best.
"The government will stand united and do its best to deal with the disaster... by putting its highest priority on people's lives," he told reporters.
Last month, powerful Typhoon Goni hit Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu, killing at least one person and injuring 70 others.Last month, powerful Typhoon Goni hit Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu, killing at least one person and injuring 70 others.
Are you in north-east Japan? Are you affected by the floods and landslides? Let us know about your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories.
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