Typhoon Lan injures dozens, damages buildings as it departs Japan

Clyde Hughes
·1 min read
UPI
A crowd of passengers wait for Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train services to resume at Tokyo railway station on Wednesday. Typhoon Lan moved north after making landfall in western Japan forcing Japan's railway companies to suspend its Shinkansen bullet train services. Photo by Kimimasa Mayama/EPA-EFE

Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Homes were damaged, roads washed away and dozens injured as Typhoon Lan blew through Japan on its way to the Sea of Japan on Wednesday.

Typhoon Lan traveled northward over the Sea of Japan on Wednesday after leaving Japan with heavy rains mostly to western parts of Japan during the busiest part of the vacation season.

Lan, which has been downgraded to a tropical storm, brought damaging winds and torrential rain to several parts of Kansai, particularly in the city of Tottori. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 49 people across nine prefectures in central and western Japan were injured and 141 homes were damaged.

AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jason Nicholls said gusts up to 80 mph were expected to impact Tottori to Ishikawa, Gifu and Aichi prefectures into Wednesday along with 40-60 mph gusts from Shikoku and Hiroshima and Shimane prefectures to Shizuoka and Niagata prefectures were expected to see gusts up to 60 mph.

"Wind gusts to 40-60 mph are possible in northwest Honshu and western Hokkaido Wednesday into Friday, local times," Nicholls said.

More than 1,800 residents in Tottori remained isolated after mudslides blocked roads and two bridges collapsed. Tottori released water from the Saji River dam to relieve pressure on it and issued an emergency safety assurance warning.

Bullet train services connecting Tokyo with Hakata in southwestern Japan were suspended on Wednesday due to continued heavy rain inDo central Japan but resumed later.