Rescue workers waded through muddy, waist-high waters today searching for missing people after one of the worst typhoons to hit Japan in recent history, as officials warned of more rain later in the day.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said vast areas had been struck by the storm and called for urgent support to the affected.
At least 40 people were killed in the typhoon that left vast sections of towns in central and eastern Japan under water, with another 16 missing and 189 injured, public broadcaster NHK said.
Tens of thousands of rescue workers and a fleet of helicopters have fanned out in the affected areas, officials said.
A flooded area in Nagano, central Japan, today following Typhoon Hagibis, which dropped record amounts of rain for a period in some spots, according to meteorological officials, causing more than 20 rivers to overflow
A resident walking towarda his house in the Hoyasu area which is flooded and devastated by Typhoon Hagibis, in Nagano
Military personnel drove their motorbikes down flooded street in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis in Nagano today.Tens of thousands of rescue workers are searching for survivors
Residents Kazuo Saito (right) and Sumiko Saito clean up their home today in Kawagoe City, Japan, after the devastation of the typhoon
‘There still are many residents who have yet to be accounted for. Our people in uniform are working day and night in search and rescue operations,’ Abe told an emergency meeting of ministers.
‘Damage has been made in an extremely wide range of areas, and more than 30,000 people are still being forced to remain in the state of evacuation. It is our urgent task to offer meticulous support to those who have been affected.’
Typhoon Hagibis, which means ‘speed’ in the Philippine language Tagalog, made landfall on Japan’s main island of Honshu on Saturday and headed out to sea early on Sunday.
Groups of rescuers wearing goggles and snorkels searched for survivors while making their way in waist-high water in Nagano, central Japan, where the Chikuma River inundated swaths of land.
A middle-aged man in Nagano, asked about the situation around his house, told NHK: ‘It’s just like a lake.’
A flooded area in Nagano, central Japan, today. Some of the muddy waters in streets, fields and residential areas have subsided. But many places remained flooded, with homes and surrounding roads covered in mud and littered with broken wooden pieces and debris
Overturned vehicles on the side of a muddy road today in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis in Nagano. It was the strongest typhoon this season and forced the suspension of many Japan railway services all over the country and cancelled about 1,600 domestic and international flights
Rescue workers paddle a boat during evacuation operations today after Typhoon Hagibis swept through Kawagoe, Saitama prefecture
A woman crying in relief after being rescued from a flooded residential area following Typhoon Hagibis, in Marumori town, Miyagi prefecture, today
Another resident in the area, Toshio Yonezawa, told Reuters TV: ‘All four of my family are safe, but cars and farm machines are all dead.’
More than 110,000 police officers, firefighters, soldiers and coastguard personnel, as well as some 100 helicopters were mobilised for today’s rescue operations, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.
Later in the day, strong rain is forecast in some parts of central and eastern Japan, where soil is already loosened by record-breaking rain from the typhoon, prompting Suga to urge residents to keep their guard up.
‘Rain is expected in affected areas today. Because of the rain we have seen so far, levels of water are high in some rivers and soil is loose in some areas,’ Suga said.
‘Please remain on your guard for landslides and river overflows.’
More than 92,000 households were still without power early on Monday, a national holiday, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said. That was down from 262,000 households as of midday on Sunday.
Police rescuers search for missing people today in the Hoyasu area, which is flooded and devastated by Typhoon Hagibis
Rescue workers help residents evacuate an area after Typhoon Hagibis swept through Kawagoe, Saitama prefecture today
Rescuers carry out a rubber dinghy from the water during search and rescue operations in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis in Nagano
Hagibis dropped record amounts of rain for a period in some spots, according to meteorological officials, causing more than 20 rivers to overflow. In Kanagawa Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, 100 centimetres of rainfall was recorded over the last 48 hours.
Some of the muddy waters in streets, fields and residential areas have subsided. But many places remained flooded, with homes and surrounding roads covered in mud and littered with broken wooden pieces and debris. Some places normally dry still looked like rivers.
Some who lined up for morning soup at evacuation shelters, which are housing 30,000 people, expressed concern about the homes they had left behind. Survivors and rescuers will also face colder weather with northern Japan turning chilly this week.
Rescue efforts were in full force with soldiers and firefighters from throughout Japan deployed. Helicopters could be seen plucking some of the stranded from higher floors and rooftops of submerged homes.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the government will set up a special disaster team, including officials from various ministries, to deal with the fallout from the typhoon, including helping those in evacuation centres and boosting efforts to restore water and electricity to homes.
Mr Abe said: ‘Our response must be rapid and appropriate.’
Damage was serious in Nagano prefecture, where an embankment of the Chikuma River broke. Areas in Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures in northern Japan were also badly flooded.
A man wading through floodwaters with items salvaged from his house in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis, in Nagano today
Residents bring out their belongings from their houses in the Hoyasu area, flooded and devastated by Typhoon Hagibis, in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, central Japan
People walking down a muddy road in a flooded area in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis in Nagano, as the rescue efforts continue across much of the country