Typhoon Hagibis Wreaks Havoc on Japan, As Many as 33 People Dead

A typhoon hit Japan just south of Tokyo on Saturday evening killing anywhere between 14 and 33 people. 

According to the Associated Press, Typhoon Hagibis wreaked havoc on northern and central Japan Saturday dumping several inches of rain and producing high gusts of wind in the area. 

Fourteen different rivers across the island country were also reported to have flooded as a result of the storm. 

The government’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Sunday that, so far, 14 people have been killed, 11 have been reported missing, 187 were injured, and some 1,283 homes were flooded with 517 either partially or totally damaged. The AP reports that the Fire and Disaster Management Agency tends to be conservative in their estimates.

Japanese media reports significantly higher numbers with Kyodo News saying that 33 people were killed in the storm and 19 are missing.

The Tokyo Fire Department confirmed one woman’s death noting that a woman in her 70s. was “accidentally dropped 40 meters to the ground while being transported into a rescue helicopter in Iwaki city in Fukushima,” the AP reports.

As of Sunday morning, approximately 376,000 homes were without electricity and 14,000 homes were without running water. By Sunday evening, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. issued an update noting that more than 66,000 of their customers were still without power. Tohoku Electric Co. also issued a statement saying that some 5,600 of their customers were without power in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima.

A politician in the ruling party, Fumio Kishida, said in a statement that the government is working hard to conduct rescue operations and to provide relief to those moved to shelters.

“So many risks remain, and it is a reality that we must stay on guard. We must do our utmost. In these times, a disaster can hit anytime,” Kishida told news talk show NHK.

The typhoon was downgraded to a tropical storm on Sunday.

Photo courtesy: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images/Stringer