Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Typhoon Halong has claimed the lives of at least 10 people, with two missing and 60 injured. Although the final tally is not yet in, the weather event was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved off the country's west coast.
This is the 11th typhoon of the season, dumping heavy rains and strong winds that have caused floods and landslides in several areas. Almost 500 homes have been damaged, and more than 700 flights cancelled.
Some bullet train runs were delayed by nearly two hours on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines. About 145 train services were delayed Sunday on the Tokyo-Osaka portion, affecting about 71,000 passengers.
The storm was moving over the Sea of Japan (East Sea), after making landfall on the largest and most populous island of Honshu. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that the outer bands of the storm were still lashing northern Japan and could still cause landslides, floods and tornadoes. However, the agency downgraded the typhoon to a tropical storm as it headed towards the far eastern coast of Russia.
It is still not clear how many people have died. Some sources say two; others 11. Japan's National Police Agency declined to confirm the number of deaths, saying it had yet to compile a nationwide total.
Meanwhile, the coastguard yesterday resumed searching for a man who went missing apparently while surfing during the storm, off Wakayama in western Japan.
According to NHK, on Sunday more than 660,000 people across the country were ordered or urged to evacuate as of Sunday afternoon, but the number had fallen to 30,000 by 8 p.m. after many local governments lifted the warnings.
In a few hours, total rainfall from Typhoon Halong topped 1,000 mm in Umaji and 900 mm in Niyodogawa, also in Kochi Prefecture.