One of the most powerful typhoons of the year is on course to pummel parts of Japan, including Tokyo. Weather officials say it could bring record rainfall.
The storm is already battering Chiba Prefecture where violent gusts have torn roofs of homes and left some residents with injuries. NHK reports.
Meteorological Agency officials have classified Typhoon Hagibis as “very strong”. The storm is moving northwards over the Pacific towards Japan’s main island of Honshu.
Surging waves crash against a breakwater and lighthouse as Typhoon Hagibis approaches a port in the town of Kiho, Mie Prefecture, central Japan, on Oct. 12.
Police say powerful winds have done extensive damage to some homes in Chiba Prefecture. They say a child was among a few people who sustained non-serious injuries.
The storm has also knocked out power to about ten thousand homes across the prefecture.
According to NHK, Hagibis could be on par with a typhoon that killed more than 1,200 people in the Kanto and Izu regions in 1958. The agency has issued an emergency warning for landslides in Tokyo and Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture.
A residential area in Ise, Mie Prefecture, is submerged due to torrential rain from Typhoon Hagibis on Oct. 12. © Kyodo
Torrential rain is forecast until Saturday, with a severe risk of floods and landslides. Winds could reach record speeds in some areas.
Storm surges are expected along the Pacific coast of eastern Honshu from Saturday through Sunday.
Authorities have issued an evacuation order for residents in part of Shizuoka Prefecture. They are urging people to get to safety immediately.