This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24531140
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Japan Typhoon Wipha kills 13 people | |
(35 minutes later) | |
At least 13 people have been killed after a powerful typhoon passed close to the Japanese capital, reports say. | |
Typhoon Wipha caused landslides and flooding on Izu Oshima island, south of Tokyo, with several houses destroyed. | Typhoon Wipha caused landslides and flooding on Izu Oshima island, south of Tokyo, with several houses destroyed. |
Several people were found dead in homes that collapsed or were buried in mudslides. Two were found dead near a river. | |
In Tokyo, flights were cancelled, bullet train services suspended and schools closed. | In Tokyo, flights were cancelled, bullet train services suspended and schools closed. |
"It is the strongest typhoon in 10 years to pass the Kanto (Tokyo area) region," Hiroyuki Uchida, the Japan Meteorological Agency's chief forecaster, told journalists on Tuesday. | "It is the strongest typhoon in 10 years to pass the Kanto (Tokyo area) region," Hiroyuki Uchida, the Japan Meteorological Agency's chief forecaster, told journalists on Tuesday. |
The storm brought strong winds and record rainfall - 122mm (4.8 inches) in one hour on Wednesday morning - to Izu Oshima island, which lies some 120km (75 miles) south of Tokyo. | The storm brought strong winds and record rainfall - 122mm (4.8 inches) in one hour on Wednesday morning - to Izu Oshima island, which lies some 120km (75 miles) south of Tokyo. |
Local media described mud and debris strewn around houses on the island. | |
"I heard a crackling sound and then the trees on the hillside all fell over," a woman on the island told national broadcaster NHK television. | |
"Then mud slid as far as the house." | |
At least 50 people remained unaccounted for on the island, and rescuers were struggling to access many areas, local reports said. | |
"City hall and fire station officials are doing rescue work in places accessible," a local official told AFP news agency. | |
In Tokyo, a search was under way for two young boys last seen on a beach. | |
Around 400 domestic and international flights were also cancelled in the capital, Kyodo news agency said. | |
Nearly 20,000 people were ordered to evacuate and thousands of schools shut as a result of the typhoon, Reuters news agency reported. | |
Typhoon Wipha was expected to move northeast and weaken over the course of the day. | Typhoon Wipha was expected to move northeast and weaken over the course of the day. |
It was expected to pass close to the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, where contaminated water used to cool reactor cores is being stored in temporary tanks. | It was expected to pass close to the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, where contaminated water used to cool reactor cores is being stored in temporary tanks. |
The plant operator said it was pumping out rainwater from its storage tanks. | |
"We are making preparations for proper management of contaminated water. We will patrol places that could have inflows of water (from the storm)," a spokesman for plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company said on Tuesday. | "We are making preparations for proper management of contaminated water. We will patrol places that could have inflows of water (from the storm)," a spokesman for plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company said on Tuesday. |