Japan hit by powerful typhoon

Heavy rains and landslides leave 20 dead and many missing as flooded rivers and collapsed bridges hamper rescue operations At least 20 people have been killed and 50 others missing in Japan after the country’s western coast was hit by typhoon Talas on Sunday. The typhoon has unleashed heavy rains, triggering landslides, and is slowly moving north. The government has ordered evacuation of 460,000 people in western and central Japan. Hundreds of people are still stranded as the rescue efforts are being hampered by flooded rivers and collapsed bridges, local agencies report. The typhoon has caused record amount of rainfall in some areas, making it the worst storm to hit the country since 2004. Talas has damaged Nijojo castle, designated as an important cultural treasure and a popular tourist attraction in the ancient city of Kyoto. Public broadcaster NHK showed a bridge swept away after torrential rain. People holding umbrellas waded through knee-deep water in city streets and residential areas. Many cars were washed away in the floods. Japan’s meteorological agency warned of more heavy rains, strong winds, floods and landslides. It has issued landslide warnings in nearly all of the country’s prefectures. Japan Natural disasters and extreme weather guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 4, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.