Typhoon Man-yi hits Japan coast, three killed

Tokyo, July 15: A typhoon that killed three people and injured more than 70 in Japan weakened to a tropical storm today, as it brushed by Tokyo and headed for the Pacific Ocean bringing heavy rain, strong winds and landslides.

Man-yi moved east at 55 km per hour (34 mph) from Chiba, near Tokyo, after lashing Japan's eastern coastline from the southernmost main island of Kyushu yesterday, the Meteorological Agency said.

The storm was weakening with winds of up to 126 km per hour (78 mph), but forecasters still warned of landslides after heavy rain pounded swathes of residential areas, forcing thousands to evacuate from homes.

Man-yi, which approached Japan's southern Okinawa islands late last week, has killed three people, including an 11-year-old boy swept away by a fast-moving river yesterday while trying to pick up a ball.

One man was missing and 73 were injured, NHK television said.

Man-yi was classified as a tropical storm by British-based Web site Tropical Storm Risk (www.tropicalstormrisk.com), down from a category 1 typhoon on Saturday and category 4 on Friday.

Television footage showed high waves pounding the shoreline in Chiba, east of the capital, a while a landslide in the area flattened three houses.

Officials had advised thousands of households to evacuate and around 4,200 people fled to evacuation centres on their own.

The storm also disrupted travel for many during a three-day holiday weekend, with train services halted, highways closed and 240 flights cancelled, NHK said.

High-speed bullet trains resumed service after shutting down in themorning, leaving travellers stranded at crowded stations.

Power outages hit 744 households while some regions also had water cut off by landslides.

Rain would weaken as Man-yi veered off into the Pacific Ocean by Monday, the Meteorological Agency said.

Reuters

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