Storm hits southwest Japan, leaves 1 dead, another missing

TOKYO (AP) — A tropical storm slammed southwestern Japan with rainfall and winds Monday, leaving one person dead and another missing, as it swerved north toward Tokyo.

Residential streets were flooded with muddy water from rivers, and swathes of homes lost power after Typhoon Nanmadol made landfall in the Kyushu region Sunday then weakened to a tropical storm.

A man was found dead early Monday in his car that was sunk in water on a farm, said Yoshiharu Maeda, a city hall official in charge of disasters at Miyakonojo, Miyazaki prefecture. Separately, one person was missing after a cottage was caught in a landslide, according to a Miyazaki prefectural official.

Nanmadol has sustained winds blowing at 108 kilometers per hour (67 mph) and gusts up to 162 kilometers (100 miles) per hour, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Tens of thousands of people spent the night at gymnasiums and other facilities in a precautionary evacuation of vulnerable homes.

More than 60 people were injured, including those who fell down in the rain or were hit by shards of glass, according to Japanese media reports.

Torrential winds smashed signboards. A construction crane snapped and a window at a pachinko parlor was shattered in Kagoshima city, southwestern Japan.

Bullet trains and airlines suspended service. Warnings were issued about landslides and swelling rivers. Convenience store chains and delivery services temporarily shuttered in southwestern Japan, while some highways were closed and people had some problems with cell phone connections.

The storm is forecast to continue dumping rain on its northeasterly path over Japan’s main island of Honshu, before moving over Tokyo and then northeastern Japan.

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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

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