Typhoon Dujuan: at least seven dead and five missing near Tokyo

At least seven people have died and five others are missing near Tokyo and 58,000 homes have suffered a temporary power cut due to the passage of Typhoon Dujuan, Japanese authorities and electricity supplier Tepco announced on Wednesday. Japan's weather agency has lifted or downgraded most of its warnings for heavy rain and landslides as Dujuan continues to move away from the Japanese coast toward the northeast on Wednesday.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said five people died in Chiba department, east of Tokyo, and two others lost their lives in Kanagawa department, also bordering the capital. Search operations continue, with five people missing after landslides, according to the same source. In Chiba department, 58,000 homes suffered a power cut Tuesday morning, according to Tepco. And more than 460 homes were damaged there, according to the authorities.

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1.6 million residents invited to evacuate upstream

More than 1.6 million residents of Tokyo and neighboring areas were asked to evacuate ahead of the typhoon, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. More than 275 flights had been canceled. On the island of Oshima, administratively attached to Tokyo, a record 832 mm of precipitation in 48 hours was recorded, more than twice the average level for the month of September, NHK said. Typhoons - tropical cyclones - often hit Japan in late summer and early autumn.

Global warming caused by human activities is making extreme weather events more frequent, deadlier and more destructive, scientists say. Earlier in September, heavy rains forced hundreds of athletes from the Asian Games hosted by Japan to briefly evacuate their homes in Nagoya, the host city, located in the center of the country.