October 16,2013
By Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press
TOKYO - A powerful typhoon
triggered landslides and caused at least 13 deaths on a Japanese island,
before sweeping up the country's east coast, grounding hundreds of
flights and paralyzing public transportation in Tokyo during Wednesday
morning's rush hour.
Rescue workers found 13 bodies,
most of them buried by mudslides, on Izu Oshima island about 120
kilometers (75 miles) south of Tokyo, police and town officials said.
Dozens of homes were destroyed, and more than 50 people are missing. "We
have no idea how bad the extent of damage could be," town official
Hinani Uematsu said.
NHK public television showed
rescue workers struggling to dig a woman out of a heap of debris as she
shrieked in pain. A rescuer told NHK that he almost walked by the spot
without seeing the woman in the debris until she cried out, "Help!"
Typhoon Wipha packed winds of up
to 180 kilometers per hour (110 mph) and stayed offshore in the Pacific.
Dozens of schools were closed in the Tokyo area. More heavy rain and
wind were forecast in northern Japan through Wednesday.
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Story Image: Houses are covered in debris due to mudslides on Japan's Izu Oshima Island (AP Photo, Kyodo News)
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