Typhoon Jangmi batters Japan’s Pacific coast, injures dozens

Typhoon Jangmi churned along Japan’s Pacific side on Wednesday after making landfall in the morning, causing flooding, mudslides, and leaving dozens of people injured, News.Az reports, citing Kyodo.

The typhoon made landfall at around 4:30 a.m. in the southern part of Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan, after passing near Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures over the previous two days.

At one point, the national weather agency issued its highest-level, Category 5 flood warning for the Koza River in Wakayama Prefecture, indicating a life-threatening situation in which residents needed to ensure their immediate safety.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 23 injuries were reported across six prefectures, including Aichi and Nara, with 17 of those occurring in Okinawa as of 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Although the Koza River later began overflowing its banks, the Level 5 emergency flood warning was downgraded at 8:50 a.m., according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

In Shizuoka Prefecture, a landslide occurred around 11 a.m., sending mud onto a railway line. No injuries were reported as train services had already been suspended, according to local police and railway operators.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the government had received reports of flooded roads, fallen trees, and landslides from Kyushu to the Kanto region, including Tokyo, as heavy rainfall affected a wide area.

Heavy rain continued in the Tokyo metropolitan area in the morning, with authorities issuing flood danger warnings for several rivers in the capital. The warnings indicated that residents in at-risk areas should prepare to evacuate and may need to leave even before formal evacuation orders are issued.

The sixth typhoon of the year also disrupted transportation, with Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways cancelling all morning domestic flights at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, along with some international services. Several JR limited express train routes connecting Tokyo with other regions were also suspended.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said 5,378 schools and universities across 23 of Japan’s 47 prefectures were closed for the day.

As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, the typhoon was located over the Pacific Ocean about 190 kilometers east of Choshi in Chiba Prefecture, moving east-northeast at 50 kph. The agency forecast that it would continue moving eastward and gradually weaken into an extratropical depression.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev