At Least Nine Dead as Typhoon Lionrock Pummels Japan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Nine bodies were found in a home for the elderly in the town of Iwaizumi in Iwate Prefecture, which suffered flooding following Typhoon Lionrock, police said.
Rescue operations are underway to rescue 400 people who are stranded due to flooding and landslides, according to a statement by the town's prefecture disaster prevention office.
Over 1,100 people were evacuated from their homes and are taking shelter in public facilities across Iwaizumi, the statement says.
Lionrock descended upon northeastern Japan just a week after Typhoons Mindulle and Kompasu pummeled Japan.
The typhoon passed Japan overnight and turned to a low pressure system. Heavy rain produced by the system flooded areas of the northernmost island of Hokkaido, causing some evacuations and the collapse of river bank.
Japanese state media NHK reported that one person was missing after a car was washed away in flood, according to CNN.
Heavy rain fell in areas of northeast China ahead of the system's arrival on the mainland.
Hunchun City in Jilin Province, which had previously experienced a drought. The dry conditions exacerbated the risk of flooding, Chen Tie, director, Hunchun Water Conservancy Bureau, told CNN affiliate CCTV.
"Hunchun had suffered from a drought before the sudden (downpour) of more than 100 millimeters last night. At first it failed to cause much damage because dry land absorbed the rainwater, but the soil has already got saturated overnight," Chen said.
"Consequently we will face enormous pressure to prevent flood if the rain continues."
