A powerful typhoon landed near Tokyo early Monday morning, killing at least two people and injuring about 40, as well as affecting hundreds of thousands of rush-hour commuters in the metropolitan area at the start of the week.
East Japan Railway Co., also known as JR East, had suspended all lines in the greater Tokyo area as Typhoon Faxai made landfall near the city of Chiba, shortly before 5 a.m., as one of the strongest typhoons on record in the Kanto region.
A woman in her 50s in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, was confirmed dead after a security camera captured her being blown off her feet and into a wall, according to police.
An 87-year-old man died in the town of Otaki in Chiba Prefecture after being struck by a tree as he tried to clear debris.
The weather agency had warned that central and eastern Japan, including Tokyo, could see record winds, forcing airlines to cancel a number of flights and some major roads to be closed.
Authorities issued voluntary evacuation warnings to more than 390,000 people, as forecasters cautioned the rain and wind could reach “record” proportions.
A woman in her 20s in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, sustained serious injuries after pillars at a golf practice range toppled over and hit a nearby homes, authorities said.
More than a dozen people were injured in Tateyama in the prefecture and its vicinity, and another 10 in the city of Chiba.
At least seven people were hurt in Ibaraki Prefecture, six others in Kanagawa Prefecture, five in Shizuoka Prefecture and one in Tokyo, local authorities said.
Japan Times