ID :
205387
Mon, 09/05/2011 - 22:44
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/205387
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Typhoon leaves 37 dead, 54 missing, causes worst damage since 2004
TOKYO, Sept. 5 Kyodo -
A powerful typhoon that hit western Japan on Sunday has left 37 people dead and 54 missing in a total of nine prefectures, according to a Kyodo News tally, the heaviest typhoon toll in about seven years.
Police, firefighters and the Self-Defense Forces resumed searching for the missing Monday in Nara and Wakayama prefectures and found the body of Danzo Mori, an 82-year-old man who went missing in the village of Totsukawa in Nara. Wakayama police said the bodies of five people were found in the city of Shingu.
The typhoon also knocked out electricity and telephone lines in Mie, Nara and Wakayama prefectures, with roughly 194,000 households in Kansai Electric Power Co.'s service area experiencing blackouts as of 3 p.m. Monday.
About 36,000 fixed-line phones in the three prefectures were still disrupted as of 4:30 p.m., NTT West Corp. said, adding it did not know when it would be able to fully restore services.
The number of victims from Typhoon Talas could grow over a wide area including the Kii Peninsula, south of Osaka, as flooded rivers, damaged roads and mudslides have hampered relief work, rescuers said.
The extent of the latest damage represents the worst since Typhoon Tokage left a total of 98 people dead or missing in October 2004.
A government investigation team of 27 members including parliamentary secretary Yukihiko Akutsu entered Wakayama on Monday to assess the situation and received reports on damage from Shingu Mayor Michitoshi Taoka.
Akutsu vowed maximum search and rescue efforts in light of the areas that remain cut off without communication lines or transportation.
In Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, a woman's body found Sunday was confirmed to be that of the town mayor's 24-year-old daughter who had been scheduled that day to take part in a ceremony to exchange betrothal gifts between her and her fiance's families.
Nachikatsuura Mayor Shinichi Teramoto, whose wife was also missing, told a press conference Monday, ''I have no place to sleep when I go home today. My family is not there...Through my own experience, I can feel what kind of support is required for people staying in evacuation shelters and those who have lost family members.''
His daughter Saki and wife Masako, 51, had gone to check on a flooded river near their home when they were swept away, according to local police.
Due to the typhoon, Hokuestu Kishu Paper Co. suspended operations at its plants in Mie and Wakayama as flooding caused minor damage to the plants.
On Monday afternoon, the typhoon changed into an extratropical cyclone, although the Japan Meteorological Agency continued to issue warnings of heavy rain through Tuesday for Hokkaido and its vicinity.
The agency predicts 400 millimeters of precipitation per hour in Hokkaido, 150 mm in Tohoku and 100 mm in Hokuriku over the 24-hour period through Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko conveyed their sympathy for the victims of the typhoon as well as appreciation for those engaging in rescue efforts to Wakayama Gov. Yoshinobu Nisaka and Nara Gov. Shogo Arai, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
In the town of Kiho in Mie Prefecture, SDF members rescued 14 people who were left isolated due to river flooding.
A powerful typhoon that hit western Japan on Sunday has left 37 people dead and 54 missing in a total of nine prefectures, according to a Kyodo News tally, the heaviest typhoon toll in about seven years.
Police, firefighters and the Self-Defense Forces resumed searching for the missing Monday in Nara and Wakayama prefectures and found the body of Danzo Mori, an 82-year-old man who went missing in the village of Totsukawa in Nara. Wakayama police said the bodies of five people were found in the city of Shingu.
The typhoon also knocked out electricity and telephone lines in Mie, Nara and Wakayama prefectures, with roughly 194,000 households in Kansai Electric Power Co.'s service area experiencing blackouts as of 3 p.m. Monday.
About 36,000 fixed-line phones in the three prefectures were still disrupted as of 4:30 p.m., NTT West Corp. said, adding it did not know when it would be able to fully restore services.
The number of victims from Typhoon Talas could grow over a wide area including the Kii Peninsula, south of Osaka, as flooded rivers, damaged roads and mudslides have hampered relief work, rescuers said.
The extent of the latest damage represents the worst since Typhoon Tokage left a total of 98 people dead or missing in October 2004.
A government investigation team of 27 members including parliamentary secretary Yukihiko Akutsu entered Wakayama on Monday to assess the situation and received reports on damage from Shingu Mayor Michitoshi Taoka.
Akutsu vowed maximum search and rescue efforts in light of the areas that remain cut off without communication lines or transportation.
In Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, a woman's body found Sunday was confirmed to be that of the town mayor's 24-year-old daughter who had been scheduled that day to take part in a ceremony to exchange betrothal gifts between her and her fiance's families.
Nachikatsuura Mayor Shinichi Teramoto, whose wife was also missing, told a press conference Monday, ''I have no place to sleep when I go home today. My family is not there...Through my own experience, I can feel what kind of support is required for people staying in evacuation shelters and those who have lost family members.''
His daughter Saki and wife Masako, 51, had gone to check on a flooded river near their home when they were swept away, according to local police.
Due to the typhoon, Hokuestu Kishu Paper Co. suspended operations at its plants in Mie and Wakayama as flooding caused minor damage to the plants.
On Monday afternoon, the typhoon changed into an extratropical cyclone, although the Japan Meteorological Agency continued to issue warnings of heavy rain through Tuesday for Hokkaido and its vicinity.
The agency predicts 400 millimeters of precipitation per hour in Hokkaido, 150 mm in Tohoku and 100 mm in Hokuriku over the 24-hour period through Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko conveyed their sympathy for the victims of the typhoon as well as appreciation for those engaging in rescue efforts to Wakayama Gov. Yoshinobu Nisaka and Nara Gov. Shogo Arai, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
In the town of Kiho in Mie Prefecture, SDF members rescued 14 people who were left isolated due to river flooding.
