Typhoon Hagibis: Japan deploys 110,000 rescuers after worst storm in decades

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Typhoon Hagibis is the worst storm to hit the country in decades

More than 110,000 people are taking part in search and rescue operations after Typhoon Hagibis struck Japan on Saturday.

The typhoon – the worst storm to hit the country in decades – has left at least 31 dead, with 15 missing.

Typhoon Hagibis also caused the cancellation of three Rugby World Cup matches but the key match between Japan and Scotland went ahead.

Japan won 28-21 and to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.

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Japan reached the quarter-finals of the Rugby World CUp

The typhoon has weakened and moved away from land but has left a trail of destruction.

Thousands of police officers, fire fighters, coast guard, and military are now working to reach those trapped by landslides and floods.

The Prime Minister’s Office of Japan said they would work at “houses isolated by floods… and search for those unaccounted for”.

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The tornado has destroyed houses and cars in its path

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Many homes still remain submerged in floodwaters

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Thousands are left struggling to clean up

Around 92,000 households remain without power – down from 262,000 households on Sunday – with 120,000 experiencing water outages.

More than seven million people were urged to leave their homes at the peak of the storm, but it is thought only 50,000 stayed in shelters.

The capital Tokyo was left relatively unscathed but other cities and towns across the country were inundated by water.

More than 1m (3ft) of rain fell in the town of Hakone, the highest total ever recorded in Japan over 48 hours.

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Media captionTroops and rescue workers are battling flooding in the wake of the deadly storm

In Nagano prefecture, levees along the Chikuma river gave way, sending flood water into residential areas.

It was only last month that Typhoon Faxai wreaked havoc on parts of Japan, damaging 30,000 homes, most of which have not yet been repaired.

source: bbc.com