Typhoon Etau Monday pummeled the coast of Honshu, Japan, bringing torrential rains, which caused floods and landslides, and killing at least 13 people, with a dozen more missing.
The town of Sayō in Hyōgo prefecture was reportedly inundated after torrential rains dumped a record 326 mm of rain in just 24 hours, disrupting air and rail links, Japan’s NHK reported the police as saying.
The Paths of typhoons Morakot and Etau. Image Source: Pacific Disaster Center. Image may be subject to copyright.
Diagrammatic representation of the above image. Source: Pacific Disaster Center/via BBC. Image may be subject to copyright.
“Brown waters engulfed the town, ripping through the walls of buildings, toppling trees and flushing cars and furniture through the streets, television images showed from Sayo in Hyōgo prefecture on Honshu island.” AFP reported.
“It was so scary, the water came surging with a roar,” a resident told japan’s NHK. “I’ve lived here for 60 or 70 years, but I’ve never seen a scene like this before.”
Hyōgo and Okayama prefectures were the hardest hit by floods and landslides caused by record rainfall, Xinhua reported.
In Hyōgo prefecture, Japan, more than 100 troops were deployed as a river burst its banks and inundated about 480 houses. AFP Photo. Image may be subject to copyright.
The town of SAYO sumo-wrestled to the geound by Etau. Original caption: A man walks by a light truck turned over on its side in a street following a nearby river floods caused by a torrential rain in Sayo, western Japan, Monday, Aug. 10, 2009. Typhoon Etau slams into Japan causing floods and landslides. (AP Photo/Kyodo News). Image may be subject to copyright.
Storm Toll
In the past three days, at least 55 people have been killed in SE Asia as a result of the storms, with twice as many hurt and hundreds missing.
Reuters reported the farm-related losses in Taiwan and China which were caused typhoon Morakot at about $500million. The news agency quoted local officials in Taiwan as saying that large numbers of houses were buried in mudslides, and that they had lost contact with up to 600 villagers.
A collapsed hotel building is seen in floods after Typhoon Morakot hit Taitung county, eastern Taiwan August 9, 2009. REUTERS/Stringer. Image may be subject to copyright.
Related Links:
- Typhoon-related heavy rain kills 13 in Japan
- Deadly storms sweep eastern Asia [Including video clips]
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