Tokyo - At least 12 people have been killed in torrential rains in Japan, while typhoons also caused casualties and destruction in other parts of Asia, media reports said Monday. Typhoon Etau has brought heavy rainfall to Japan, causing flooding and landslides that have destroyed homes.
In the hardest-hit prefectures, Hyogo and Okayama in western Japan, 12 people were killed and several remained missing, local news reports said. Rescuers continue to search for victims.
At least 2,000 people sought shelter in schools and other public buildings. Houses were destroyed by mudslides and the authorities had to close some roads. In the capital Tokyo, Monday morning traffic was obstructed by the rain.
Meanwhile Typhoon Morakot has weakened into a tropical storm over China after causing heavy destruction in the east of the country and on Taiwan.
At least one person, a 4-year-old boy, was killed when hundreds of buildings were destroyed, Chinese media said. About 1 million residents on the Chinese coast were evacuated.
Morakot caused the worst floods in 50 years on Taiwan over the weekend, killing 12 people and injuring dozens.
