A firefighter makes his way through flooded street in the residential area hit by Typhoon Hagibis, in Tokyo, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019 AP
A firefighter makes his way through flooded street in the residential area hit by Typhoon Hagibis, in Tokyo, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019 AP
A firefighter makes his way through flooded street in the residential area hit by Typhoon Hagibis, in Tokyo, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019 AP
A firefighter makes his way through flooded street in the residential area hit by Typhoon Hagibis, in Tokyo, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019 AP

Typhoon Hagibis brings death and destruction to Tokyo


  • English
  • Arabic

The worst typhoon to hit Tokyo in decades has left death and destruction in its wake as it heads north.

Fierce winds and record-breaking rainfall hit the Japanese capital, The Japan Times reported, with as many as four feared dead as a result of the deadly storm.

Hagibis made landfall on Japan's main island of Honshu on Saturday evening with a 5.7 magnitude earthquake reported shortly afterwards.

More than 80 were injured across 27 prefectures as a result of the typhoon with the whereabouts of 17 others still unaccounted for.

Hundreds of thousands have been left without power by the storm after some 6 million people across Japan were urged by authorities to evacuate.

Early Sunday morning, local time, a further 340,000 residents were forced to evacuate from the Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture with the Japan’s meteorological agency predicting the storm would continue on its current trajectory towards the Pacific Ocean.

Concerns have been raised over irregular readings from sensors monitoring the Fukushima Diiachi nuclear plant, which was devastated by a 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

  • A man walks through debris of damaged houses by a tornado caused by typhoon Hagibis in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. EPA
    A man walks through debris of damaged houses by a tornado caused by typhoon Hagibis in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. EPA
  • A handout photo made available by NASA Earth Observatory of a satellite image showing Typhoon Hagibis spinning toward the north-northwest over the western Pacific Ocean as its outer cloud bands near Japan. EPA
    A handout photo made available by NASA Earth Observatory of a satellite image showing Typhoon Hagibis spinning toward the north-northwest over the western Pacific Ocean as its outer cloud bands near Japan. EPA
  • Men watch the swollen Isuzu River due to heavy rain caused by Typhoon Hagibis in Ise, central Japan. Reuters
    Men watch the swollen Isuzu River due to heavy rain caused by Typhoon Hagibis in Ise, central Japan. Reuters
  • An empty road leading into Shiroko, Suzuka, Japan, seen in heavy rain ahead of Typhoon Hagibis. Reuters
    An empty road leading into Shiroko, Suzuka, Japan, seen in heavy rain ahead of Typhoon Hagibis. Reuters
  • Surging waves generated by Typhoon Hagibis hit against a breakwater at a port in the town of Kiho, Mie Prefecture, Japan. EPA
    Surging waves generated by Typhoon Hagibis hit against a breakwater at a port in the town of Kiho, Mie Prefecture, Japan. EPA
  • Japan's rugby team player Jiwon Koo, carries teammate James Moore in a flooded walkway at a stadium in Tokyo as the team practices ahead of their match against Scotland. AP
    Japan's rugby team player Jiwon Koo, carries teammate James Moore in a flooded walkway at a stadium in Tokyo as the team practices ahead of their match against Scotland. AP
  • A man sleeps next to an airline counter at the domestic terminal of Haneda Airport, after flights were suspended due to Typhoon Hagibis in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
    A man sleeps next to an airline counter at the domestic terminal of Haneda Airport, after flights were suspended due to Typhoon Hagibis in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
  • A railway passenger watches a display showing information about Typhoon Hagibis at Shinjuku railway station in Tokyo, Japan. EPA
    A railway passenger watches a display showing information about Typhoon Hagibis at Shinjuku railway station in Tokyo, Japan. EPA
  • Pedestrians using umbrellas struggle against rain and wind in Tokyo. EPA
    Pedestrians using umbrellas struggle against rain and wind in Tokyo. EPA
  • A taxi speeds through water covering a road in the Aoyama district of Tokyo, as the effects of Typhoon Hagibis is started to be felt in Japan's capital. AFP
    A taxi speeds through water covering a road in the Aoyama district of Tokyo, as the effects of Typhoon Hagibis is started to be felt in Japan's capital. AFP
  • Rescuers on a boat patrol the residential area flooded by Typhoon Hagibis, in Ise, central Japan. AP
    Rescuers on a boat patrol the residential area flooded by Typhoon Hagibis, in Ise, central Japan. AP
  • Formula One fan Kazuki Yoshida, 31, from Chiba Prefecture, who evacuated from Typhoon Hagibis, rests at a makeshift accommodation for spectators of the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan. Reuters
    Formula One fan Kazuki Yoshida, 31, from Chiba Prefecture, who evacuated from Typhoon Hagibis, rests at a makeshift accommodation for spectators of the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan. Reuters
  • Spectators who evacuate from Typhoon Hagibis, gather at a makeshift accommodation for spectators of Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan. Reuters
    Spectators who evacuate from Typhoon Hagibis, gather at a makeshift accommodation for spectators of Formula One Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan. Reuters
  • Destroyed house and vehicle are seen following a strong wind in Ichihara, Chiba, near Tokyo. Tokyo and surrounding areas braced for a powerful typhoon forecast as the worst in six decades, with streets and trains stations unusually quiet Saturday as rain poured over the city. AP
    Destroyed house and vehicle are seen following a strong wind in Ichihara, Chiba, near Tokyo. Tokyo and surrounding areas braced for a powerful typhoon forecast as the worst in six decades, with streets and trains stations unusually quiet Saturday as rain poured over the city. AP
  • Destroyed houses, cars and power poles, which according to local media were believed to be caused by a tornado, are seen as Typhoon Hagibis approaches the Tokyo area in Ichihara, east of Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
    Destroyed houses, cars and power poles, which according to local media were believed to be caused by a tornado, are seen as Typhoon Hagibis approaches the Tokyo area in Ichihara, east of Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
  • Destroyed houses, cars and power poles, which according to local media were believed to be caused by a tornado, are seen as Typhoon Hagibis approaches the Tokyo area in Ichihara, east of Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
    Destroyed houses, cars and power poles, which according to local media were believed to be caused by a tornado, are seen as Typhoon Hagibis approaches the Tokyo area in Ichihara, east of Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
  • A woman walks in the rain at a pedestrian crossing near Osaka Station as Typhoon Hagibis approaches Osaka, Japan. Reuters
    A woman walks in the rain at a pedestrian crossing near Osaka Station as Typhoon Hagibis approaches Osaka, Japan. Reuters

Three were killed by the extreme weather in the Chiba, Gunma and Kanagawa prefectures surrounding Tokyo. In Kawasaki a man in his 60s was discovered dead in his flooded apparent.

As the typhoon, believed to be the strongest to hit Tokyo since 1958, continues along its path of destruction, authorities lifted rain and flood warnings for the Kanto region around a becalmed Tokyo before dawn on Sunday but imposed them on areas further north.

Fears of further flooding as some dams in some areas are opened to release water have been raised by experts.

"Damage from floods and landslides is likely taking place already," a Japan Meteorological Agency official told a televised news conference. "It is critical that people take action urgently to protect their lives and the lives of loved ones."

Hagibis has brought Tokyo and its surroundings to a standstill. The capital's main airports, Haneda and Narita, stopped flights and connecting trains were suspended. More than a thousand flights were cancelled as a result.

Train operators suspended bullet train services, while many train and subway lines in Tokyo were also down for most of Saturday. Usually bustling entertainment and shopping districts such as Shibuya and Ginza were deserted.

Tokyo Disneyland had its firs all-day closure on Saturday as a result for the typhoon and international sport fixtures have been cancelled because of the freak weather.

Two matches of the Rugby World Cup, currently being hosted in Japan, were cancelled on Saturday. Matches on Sunday including a deciding match between Japan and Scotland hangs in the balance.

Japanese Formula One Grand Prix organisers also cancelled all practice and qualifying sessions scheduled for Saturday.