World

Four feared dead after typhoon hits Japan

 
Two people were confirmed dead and another two were found "without vital signs" after Typhoon Nanmadol slammed into Japan over the weekend, a government spokesman said. The storm system made landfall by the southwestern city of Kagoshima on Sunday night, and dumped heavy rain across the Kyushu region before moving along the west coast.

By Tuesday morning, it was downgraded to an extra tropical cyclone as it crossed to the northeastern coast and headed out to sea.

The storm toppled trees, smashed windows and dumped a month's worth of rain in a 24-hour period on parts of Miyazaki prefecture, where the two deaths were confirmed. Government spokesman Hirozaku Matsuno said another two people had been found "without vital signs," a term often used in Japan before a death has been officially certified by a coroner. -- AFP