Tokyo, Aug 16 (EFE).- Tropical cyclone Lan continued its passage Wednesday through western Japan, leaving heavy rains, landslides, damaging infrastructure and numerous isolated population centers.
A Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train bound for western Japan departs Tokyo railway station in Tokyo, Japan, 14 August 2023. EFE-EPA/KIMIMASA MAYAMA
The cyclone is the seventh Pacific typhoon of the season and made landfall at 5am on Tuesday (20.00 GMT Monday) in western Wakayama Prefecture, and now continues its journey to the north of the country through the Sea of Japan.
A Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train bound for western Japan departs Tokyo railway station in Tokyo, Japan, 14 August 2023. EFE-EPA/KIMIMASA MAYAMA
Several areas in the west of the country have been hit by heavy rains since yesterday, as is the case in the city of Tottori, which has registered its historical record of rainfall in the last 24 hours, 2.5 times more than the average for a month of August.
A woman in her 80s died there of cardiac arrest when the area in which she was found was isolated and authorities couldn’t rescue her in time.
These intense rainfalls have also left structural damage, such as in the city of Fukuchiyama, in Kyoto prefecture, where earth and sand have flooded city roads, leaving isolated populations.
In the city of Maizuru, also in this prefecture, the rise of the river has carried away a large part of a bridge, while in the nearby city of Ayabe, there have been significant landslides.
Several important lines of the shinkansen bullet train were suspended Wednesday to and from Tokyo due to heavy rains, with the exception of some sections, as many Japanese people return home after a few festive days in the country.
With no prospect of resuming operations Wednesday, rail authorities asked passengers to seek alternative routes.
Several roads and highways are also closed to traffic, such as in the Gifu and Osaka prefectures, in addition to about 20 canceled flights, according to the latest data published at 8:30pm Wednesday (23.30 Tuesday GMT). .
The arrival of the typhoon in Japan has coincided with the festive period of Obon, in which the deceased are remembered and during which celebration there is a large number of trips for family reunions.
This year has been the first since Covid-19 was equated to the seasonal flu, with a greater increase in domestic travel, as well as tourists during the summer period.
Lan comes shortly after the passage of Khanun, the previous typhoon of the season, which in the last two weeks has hit the southwest of the Japanese archipelago and the Korean peninsula, causing extensive flooding, extensive material damage and several deaths. EFE
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