Tropical storm hits Japan’s northeast, hinders transport

August 17, 2016 - 11:35

A tropical storm dumped rain on Japan's northeast coast on Wednesday, prompting cancellations of flights and train services as officials warned of possible landslides and flooding.

TOKYO — A tropical storm dumped rain on Japan’s northeast coast on Wednesday, prompting cancellations of flights and train services as officials warned of possible landslides and flooding.

Tropical Storm Chanthu, packing gusts up to 126km per hour, was travelling along Japan’s Pacific coast, bringing heavy rains, strong winds and high waves to the northeastern region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

"Due to continued heavy rain, risks of landslides are increasing," in the northeast, the agency said in a statement.

At least 800 households in Ibaraki prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, experienced power outages early on Wednesday due to the storm damage, Tokyo Electric Power said.

It caused some cancellations of train services in the northern region, including bullet trains.

Japan Airlines cancelled 14 domestic flights to and from northern Japan, including regional hubs such as Sendai.

Its rival All Nippon Airways said services were largely unaffected by the storm.

Japanese meteorologists had warned on Tuesday that the storm, categorised as a typhoon in Japan but not by international weather authorities, could draw close to Tokyo during the Wednesday morning rush hour, but the storm turned north and clear skies returned to the capital. — AFP

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