At least two people were killed early Friday as Typhoon Fitow made landfall near Tokyo, disrupting the city’s extensive transportation system, a report said.

A third person was missing and about 50 others injured as the storm tore through Japan’s main Honshu Island, which includes Tokyo.

The Kyodo news service reported Fitow swept northward after making landfall. The Japan Meteorological Agency predicted strong winds and heavy rains along the storm’s path extending to the northern island of Hokkaido.

Among the dead was a 76-year-old man in Karuizawa, northwest of Tokyo, who was hit by a falling tree, Kyodo said. The second person killed was a construction worker, who was trapped in a landslide.

Flooding also became a problem because of swelling rivers around Tokyo. A 52-year-old man was missing near one of the rivers.

Early Friday afternoon, the typhoon was moving north at 28 miles per hour, with wind speeds of up to 90 miles per hour, the report said.

Many rail operators stopped running services in the morning, affecting some 220,000 people. Some of the bullet trains’ services also were suspended. // Copyright 2007 by United Press International


Publication date: 07 September 2007   

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