1 dead, around 50 injured after powerful typhoon pounds western Japan

Aug 16, 2019 | News On Japan

Aug 16, 2019 (Kyodo) - A powerful typhoon ripped through western Japan on Thursday, leaving one man dead and about 50 people injured, while greatly disrupting summer holiday traffic.

Over 7,000 residents evacuated their homes in parts of western and eastern Japan after the country's meteorological agency warned of record rainfall totaling 1,200 millimeters in Pacific coastal areas as well as landslides and floods.

Typhoon Krosa made landfall near Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, around 3 p.m. and proceeded north to the Sea of Japan. As of midnight Thursday, it was moving at a speed of 35 kilometers per hour around 180 km north of Matsue in Shimane Prefecture, with an atmospheric pressure of 980 hectopascals at its center and packing winds of up to 126 kph.

As the season's 10th typhoon weakens and dissipates after crossing western Japan, it is expected to be downgraded to an extratropical cyclone by early Saturday, according to the agency.

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