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Typhoon Hagibis, which struck Japan on the night of Saturday 12 to Sunday 13 October, killed at least 11 people. Wounded and missing people are also to be deplored, according to the NHK public television channel.
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<p><span><span><span><span><span>It's one of the most powerful typhoons Japan has ever seen. Hagibis, who crossed eastern and central Japan on the night of Saturday to Sunday, killed at least eleven</span></span></span></span></span> <span><span><span><span><span>people, according to Japanese officials.</span></span></span></span></span>
Japanese soldiers were busy Sunday 13 October to rescue people trapped by the many floods caused by the powerful typhoon Hagibis, which killed at least eleven people and more than a dozen missing.
Submerged houses, landslides, raging streams: the rainstorm of unprecedented intensity has wreaked havoc across central and eastern Japan on Saturday night 12 to Sunday 13 October.
People were buried in landslides or drowned in their homes or in water-washed vehicles, including a child whose body was found in a river, inside or near a car.
Locals trapped
Significant floods were reported in the central Nagano region, where a dike dropped, discharging the waters of the Chikuma River into a residential area whose homes were flooded to the first floor.
Perched on their balconies, residents in distress waved towels to the helicopters on the NHK public television channel and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, while a muddy stream rumbled around.
Some 7.3 Millions of Japanese received evacuation instructions on Saturday after record rainfall. Tens of thousands of people followed these instructions, which are not mandatory. They were accommodated in gymnasiums or multi-purpose halls with emergency food, water and blankets.
Hagibis had touched down Saturday shortly before 19:00 (10:00 GMT) and reaches the Japanese capital around 9:00 pm, accompanied by gusts of wind up to 200 km / h, according to the Japan Weather Agency (JMA).
By Saturday morning, the weather had made a death in the region of Chiba (eastern suburbs of Tokyo), a man found in a van overturned, according to firefighters.
At least 16 people missing
The balance sheet then became heavy as the center of the storm swept through lives in the Tokyo, central and northeastern regions of the country.
According to NHK, 16 Other people were reported missing on Sunday. The public television channel reported that 126 people were injured.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe organized an emergency meeting with some ministers and said the government is working to preserve the lives and property of the people. "The government will do everything in its power (…) pto restore services as soon as possible, "he said.
Rugby World Cup and Formula 1 Grand Prix overturned
The storm also upset the organization of two sports competitions held in Japan : Formula Grand Prix Qualifiers 1 from Suzuka (center) have been postponed to Sunday morning, while two matches of the Rugby World Cup were to be held on Saturday 12 October (France-England and New Zealand-Italy) had been canceled on Thursday 10 October.
World Cup officials announced Sunday the cancellation of a third match, Namibia-Canada, scheduled to Kamaishi (north).
The meeting between Scotland and Japan on Sunday 13 October, decisive for Scotland but long threatened, was finally maintained.
The typhoon has also paralyzed transport in the greater Tokyo area, this weekend extended by a holiday Monday : Rail connections were resuming on Sunday and flights serving Tokyo were only partially restored.
Japan is hit by twenty typhoons each year. Before Hagibis, Faxai had killed at least two people in early September and caused extensive damage to Chiba.
With AFP and Reuters
