Deadly typhoon lashes Tokyo, kills man
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Typhoon Mindulle brought winds of 126 kmh and gusts of up to 180 kmh, shutting one of Tokyo’s main airports, Haneda. More than 400 domestic flights were canceled. / Courtesy of YouTube
By Hong Dam-young
A deadly typhoon has battered Tokyo, bringing Japan’s capital to a standstill.
One person was killed and many injured after Typhoon Mindulle made landfall on Japan’s southern main island of Honshu on Monday, lashing Tokyo and surrounding areas with heavy rain and strong winds, according to the AP news agency. The storm packed winds of 126 kmh and gusts up to 180 kmh.
Tokyo’s two main airports were closed for about an hour on Monday. At Narita International Airport, air-traffic controllers had to abandon the control tower temporarily when wind speeds reached 126 kmh. It is the first time the tower has been closed because of a typhoon and about 85 international and 30 domestic flights were canceled.
More than 400 domestic flights were canceled at the city's other major airport, Haneda.
Japanese officials warned people in Tokyo to watch out for “landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, violent winds and high waves.”
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said a man in his 40s was found dead on a flooded road in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island. It said the storm had injured 11 people, including three seriously. A woman in her 80s was blown over by strong winds and seriously injured south of Tokyo.
The storm was forecast to move north over the Tohoku region and reach Hokkaido on Tuesday.
Korea is expected to stay out of its influence, according to the Korean weather agency, while some domestic flights that connect with Narita remain delayed.