TOKYO: Typhoon Hagibis has hit the island country of Japan and has left the entire nation reeling in its wake. Kyodo News service, assembling information from a wide network, counted 36 deaths caused by the typhoon with 16 people missing. The official count from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency was 19 dead and 13 missing as a result of the major flooding sparked by the high velocity winds and torrential rain. The Nagano prefecture was one of the worst hit region of the country by the floods. The Central Government has deployed around 27,000 soldiers of the Self-Defence Forces (military) to take part in the rescue efforts, local news agency Kyodo reported. In Tokyo, water of the Tama river was flowing above the limit resulting in the flooding of many buildings in the city. Shinzo Abe, Japanese Prime Minister has convened an emergency meeting of relevant ministers and dispatched the minister in charge of disaster management to the worst-hit areas.
Abe offered condolences to the families of those who died and said that the government was working to save people’s lives and property.
“The government will do everything in its power to cooperate with relevant agencies to restore services as soon as possible,” he said.
Tokyo Electric Power Co has said that more than 100,000 homes were still without power across the nation.
In the prefectures of Tohoku, north east Japan, and Kanto, which includes Tokyo the rain recorded on Saturday, September 12, amounted to 30-40 per cent of the annual rainfall in the region, NHK reported.
Transport in the country has been disrupted massively due to this typhoon’s passage. Although services are being restored gradually, more than 800 flights remain cancelled on Sunday, September 13.