In pictures: Powerful Typhoon Hagibis lashes Japan

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The worst typhoon to hit the country in decades brings deadly flooding and landslides. …

Schoolchildren and residents remove mud after flooding caused by Typhoon Hagibis in Marumori, Miyagi prefecture, Japan, October 13, 2019Image copyright Reuters

Typhoon Hagibis has brought deadly flooding and landslides to large parts of Japan.

Hagibis – meaning “speed” in the Philippine language Tagalog – is Japan’s biggest typhoon in six decades.

It hit the Izu Peninsula, south-west of Tokyo, shortly before 19:00 local time (10:00 GMT) on Saturday, before continuing to move up the eastern coast of Japan’s main island.

The storm has affected the Rugby World Cup games and the Formula One Grand Prix.

Torrential rain caused water levels to rise in a number of rivers, including the Arakawa.

Overflowing Arakawa river between Tokyo and Saitama prefecture, Japan, 13 October 2019Image copyright EPA

A railway bridge across the swollen Chikuma river collapsed in Ueda.

A collapsed railway bridge is seen over Chikuma river swollen by Typhoon Hagibis in Ueda, central Japan, October 13, 2019Image copyright Reuters

Residents in Kawasaki were faced with a huge cleaning up operation as the floods receded.

People clear mud from their homes after being flooded during Typhoon Hagibis, on October 13, 2019 in Kawasaki, JapanImage copyright Getty Images
People clean up debris after floodwaters caused by Typhoon Hagibis receded in a residential area, in Kawasaki, Japan, October 13, 2019Image copyright Reuters

Several people were killed and others are missing. Here a rescue worker checks a residential area inundated by the floods.

A rescue worker swims as he checks around a flooded residential area due to Typhoon Hagibis, in Kawasaki, Japan, October 13, 2019Image copyright Reuters

As the storm approached on Saturday, usually crowded tourist spots were almost completely deserted, including Harajuku – one of Tokyo’s most famous shopping areas.

The usually very busy Harajuku district of TokyoImage copyright AFP

Those caught in the rain struggled to make their way back indoors as the typhoon approached.

Pedestrians in Tokyo struggle with umbrellas in the wind and rainImage copyright EPA
Pedestrians struggle against rain and wind in Tokyo, Japan, 12 October 2019Image copyright EPA

The typhoon brought transport systems to a standstill. Metro and train services in Tokyo were suspended and flights grounded.

A deserted subway station in Tokyo, with a message board in front of the barriersImage copyright PA Media
A man looks at the flight information board at the Haneda International airport in Tokyo on 12 October, 2019.Image copyright AFP

Many in Tokyo tried to protect their homes and businesses from the incoming storm.

A shop in Tokyo has taped up windows and bags filled with water at its entrance in preparation for Typhoon Hagibis on 12 October.Image copyright AFP

Firefighters were later seen patrolling the city’s flooded streets.

Firefighters patrol on a flooded road due to heavy rains caused by Typhoon Hagibis in Tokyo, Japan, 12 October, 2019.Image copyright Kyodo/via REUTERS

Some evacuated residents took shelter in a sports hall in Tokyo.

Evacuated residents sit inside a shelter to wait out the storm in Tokyo on 12 October 2019.Image copyright AFP

Hotel guests in the district of Sengokuhara were also forced to seek shelter, while the typhoon left roads in the area covered in debris.

Evacuees sleep on makeshift beds in a shelter after emergency crews evacuated nearby hotel guests, in Sengokuhara, in Nakone province, Japan, 12 October 2019.Image copyright EPA
An emergency vehicle drives through debris on a flooded road during the evacuation of guests at the Osen Sanso Nakamura hotel in Sengokuhara, in Nakone province, Japan, 12 October 2019.Image copyright EPA

People’s homes and businesses were caught in heavy flooding in Ise, central Japan.

Men watch from their balcony as a river floods their home in IseImage copyright Reuters
A residential area is flooded in Ise, Mie Prefecture, central Japan, ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Hagibis.Image copyright Kyodo/via Reuters

And a tornado prompted by the typhoon destroyed homes and dismantled electrical poles in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo.

Collapsed homes in ChibaImage copyright EPA
A view of fallen electric cables after a tornado caused by Typhoon Hagibis hit Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, 12 October 2019.Image copyright EPA

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