Tropical storm kills 28 in Japan

Japan's coast guard on Wednesday found five more bodies from an Indonesian cargo ship that ran aground during a powerful typhoon that has hammered Japan, raising the death toll from the storm to at least 28. At least 15 others were missing.

Public broadcaster NHK said 718 people had been injured, while police put the number at 498.

The tropical storm, which was downgraded Wednesday from a typhoon after losing some of its devastating force, was centered at the northern tip of Hokkaido island and headed northwest with sustained winds of up to 100 kph.

The typhoon carved a path of destruction Tuesday along the country's western coast, leaving about 1.6 million households without power, demolishing 27 homes and flooding 1,458 buildings, Japanese media said.

Officials advised 20,000 households to evacuate, Kyodo News reported.

Power was restored to many homes by Wednesday, although about 390,000 homes were still without electricity, authorities and utilities said.

Typhoon Songda was the record seventh typhoon to hit Japan this year, exceeding the six storms that lashed the country in 1990, the Meteorological Agency said.

The discovery of the five dead sailors brought the death toll on the Indonesian ship to 11. The remainder of the 22-member crew of the Tri Ardhianto were still missing, a spokesman for the 6th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters said on condition of anonymity.

NHK reported more than 100 flights were canceled nationwide, while most train and ferry operators in Hokkaido and other parts of northern Japan had halted services.

Source: Shenzhen Daily-Agencies