Typhoon Neoguri leaves three dead in Japan

Tokyo, July 10 (IANS/EFE) Typhoon Neoguri, which made landfall early Thursday on Japan's main island of Honshu, has left three people dead and 49 injured in flooding and mudslides this week.

Although the typhoon has gradually lost force and was downgraded to a tropical storm Wednesday, it still brings heavy rain and violent winds and authorities have urged citizens to stay safe as there is still a risk of floods and landslides.

Neoguri Thursday reached Honshu island after sweeping the southernmost island of Kyushu, the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported, as it declared a high-level warning in the region with severe downpours expected.

The powerful typhoon has left three people dead and 49 injured and has badly damaged 117 houses in southern Japan, forcing authorities to evacuate some 30,000 people.

The victims were a 12-year-old boy who died after he was swept away in a flood in front of his house only 10 minutes before the authorities issued an evacuation warning, national channel NHK reported Thursday.

Two men also drowned in different parts of the country after falling into swollen rivers.

Neoguri, the eighth typhoon of the season in the Pacific region, is expected to lose force as it moves north and is likely to affect the east coast of Honshu, including Tokyo, where it is expected to arrive early Friday.

--IANS/EFE

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