Tropical Storm Nangka kills 2 in Japan, causes flooding and travel disruptions

TOKYO – Two people were killed making preparations for a strong tropical storm that swept across western Japan on Friday and left more than 30 injured.

Tropical Storm Nangka caused serious flooding and disrupted air and train travel as it crossed the island of Shikoku and the main Japanese island of Honshu.

With sustained winds of 83 kilometres per hour (51 miles per hour) and gusts up to 126 kph (78 mph), it was heading north out to the Japan Sea, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Forecasters said it could veer to the northeast and hit northern Japan in the coming days.

Police said that two elderly men died Thursday in Hyogo prefecture while getting ready for the storm.

A 71-year-old retiree was found collapsed in a canal in the afternoon after he left home to check out the farm while the typhoon was approaching, Hyogo police said.

The body of an 85-year-old man was found in the evening near his home after his family reported to police that he went missing.

He was last seen reinforcing a window to prepare for the storm.

Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said authorities are also checking a report that a person was washed away in Saitama prefecture, near Tokyo.

The agency said 32 people have been injured, including five seriously.