More than 100,000 Japanese rescuers work through the night as Typhoon Hagibis death toll climbs
- At least 56 people have been killed after the deadly storm slammed into Tokyo and surrounding areas on Saturday
- Bodies were retrieved from submerged homes, vehicles and overflowing rivers
Typhoon Hagibis moved away from land on Sunday morning, but while it largely spared the capital, it left a trail of destruction in surrounding regions.
More than 100,000 rescuers – including 31,000 troops – clawed through debris overnight Sunday to Monday to reach people trapped after torrential rain caused landslides and filled rivers until they burst their banks.
The broadcaster said 15 people were still missing.
The destruction forced the Rugby World Cup being hosted by Japan to cancel several games, but the “Brave Blossoms”, as the national team is known, lifted spirits with a stunning 28-21 victory over Scotland Sunday that puts them into the quarter-finals of the tournament for the first time.
Rivers overflowed their banks at close to dozen locations – including in central Japan’s Nagano, where a levee breach sent water from the Chikuma river gushing into residential neighbourhoods, flooding homes up to the second floor.