By Dave McCombs
Aug. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Thirteen people died in Japan when rains caused flooding and mudslides in the southwest and other areas, national broadcaster NHK Television said, as a tropical storm approached the coast threatening more downpours.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its highest-level warnings for floods and heavy rain in areas from the southern island of Kyushu to the northern prefecture of Akita.
More rain is forecast as Tropical Storm Etau heads toward the country. The center of Etau was 210 kilometers south of the southern tip of Wakayama prefecture, western Japan, as of 6:50 p.m. Japan time today, according to the weather agency.
Etau was heading north-northwest at 20 kilometers per hour with maximum sustained winds of 74 kph and is forecast to pass to the south of Tokyo after 9 a.m. tomorrow, the agency said on its Web site. The storm’s winds were gusting to 111 kph.
Eleven bodies were recovered in the town of Sayo in Hyogo prefecture west of Osaka, NHK said. Another person died in the prefecture and a woman was found dead in her collapsed house in neighboring Okayama prefecture, it said.
At least 10 people were missing in Hyogo and in Tokushima prefecture on Shikoku island, NHK said earlier.
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 9 people were dead and 18 missing as of 6 p.m. local time.
Suspended Lines
Workers at Tokyo Station used sandbags to stop runoff from storm drains flowing into underground areas while the water was 200 millimeters deep in some streets, NHK said. Areas west of Tokyo had as much as 300 millimeters of rain, the broadcaster said.
Some train lines in Tokyo were suspended as of 4 p.m. local time, with delays reported on the Narita line, which serves the New Tokyo International Airport, East Japan Railway Co. said on its Web site.
Prime Minister Taro Aso canceled campaign speeches in Hyogo and Tokushima today because of the rain, according to a statement on the Liberal Democratic Party’s Web site.
The LDP, which has held power for all but 10 months since 1955, is behind the opposition Democratic Party of Japan in polls before a general election on Aug. 30.
Etau means storm cloud in the language of Palau, according to the Web site of the Hong Kong Observatory that lists names in use for storms in the Pacific region.
In Taiwan, at least 15 people were killed and 55 are missing after Typhoon Morakot swept across the country before hitting the Chinese coast yesterday. One child died and the properties of more than 136,000 people were damaged after Chinese authorities evacuated almost 1 million before the storm arrived.
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