Published on: 02/11/2024 – 08:48

1 minute

The Japan Meteorological Agency said “warm and humid air… caused heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms in western Japan”, partly due to Kong-rey, which was downgraded to a low pressure system extratropical following a typhoon.

The city of Matsuyama “issued a high-level warning, calling on 189,552 residents in its 10 districts to evacuate and immediately ensure their safety,” a city official told AFP.

Even if evacuation was not mandatory, Japan’s highest warning is usually issued when it is extremely likely that a disaster has already occurred.

Forecasters warned that landslides and flooding could affect western Japan on Saturday and eastern Japan on Sunday.

Due to rain, Shinkansen bullet trains were briefly suspended between Tokyo and the southern Fukuoka region in the morning before resuming on a delayed schedule.

Kong-rey hit Taiwan on Thursday, one of the biggest storms to hit the island in decades.

It left at least three dead and 690 injured, according to the National Fire Agency, which added the death of a migrant worker to the toll on Saturday.

The storm knocked out power to 957,061 homes, of which 27,781 were still in the dark Saturday.

Scientists say human-caused climate change intensifies the risk posed by heavy rains because a warmer atmosphere holds more water.

© 2024 AFP