Japan battered by Typhoon Melor

Japan is coming to terms with the damage left behind by Typhoon Melor.

Winds topping 200 kilometers per hour accompanied by torrential rains destroyed bridges and flooded roads in the centre of Japan’s main island, Honshu.

A newspaper deliveryman died when his motorbike crashed into a felled tree, while another man was killed by a falling branch. Dozens more people were injured.

Transport networks in Tokyo were badly hit; hundreds of domestic flights were cancelled and the rail network closed as the storm passed over the capital.

Industry was also affected, with production suspended at Toyota and Suzuki factories in the centre of the country.

Japan is better equipped to deal with severe storms than many of its east Asian neighbours, but typhoons can nonetheless have devastating effects. In August 25 people died in flash floods and landslides caused by Typhoon Etau, while in 2005 Typhoon Tokage left 95 people dead.

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tags: Japan, Natural disasters