The most powerful typhoon to barrel into Japan's Pacific coastline in a decade made landfall on Saturday, unleashing gales and blinding sheets of rain that grounded planes, flooded homes and set off mudslides. One person was dead and another one missing. Ma-on, which means horse saddle in Cantonese, was the record eighth typhoon to reach Japan's shores this year. On Friday, Meteorological Agency officials said the brunt of the tempest -which had sustained winds of 162kmh - was stronger than any other to hit the eastern coast in 10 years. The agency forecast about 250mm of rainfall through Sunday along the eastern seaboard of the main island of Honshu. It warned of high tides and landslides due to unstable, rain-soaked soil. Hardest hit were the central prefectures of Shizuoka and Aichi, where wind-whipped rain made it difficult for people to remain standing. In eastern Chiba, more than 330mm of rain had fallen since early Friday.
A National Police Agency official said a 48-year-old man who went missing late on Friday was found dead near his car early on Saturday on a drenched valley road in Wakayama prefecture. A 74-year-old man who had been delivering newspapers was missing on Saturday. Media reports said he may have fallen into a rain-swollen river. Plane, train and ferry services nationwide were disrupted, stranding thousands of travellers. Public broadcaster NHK said at least 150 domestic and international flights and most ferry services along the east coast had been cancelled. In central and eastern Japan, railway operators had suspended bullet and local train services and roads were closed to traffic, NHK said. Authorities had ordered evacuations in Shizuoka, Mie, Wakayama, Nara and Osaka prefectures and about 1,500 people had left their homes for public shelters. About 100 homes had been damaged by mudslides or floods, police said. The storm comes a week after Tropical Storm Meari tore through Japan, killing 22 people and injuring at least 80 others. This year's typhoons are the most on record since the Meteorological Agency began keeping records in 1951. Japan was hit by six typhoons in 1990, when the previous record was set. |