Seoul: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promised to take action Tuesday after reports emerged that two homeless men were denied access to a government shelter during a typhoon in Tokyo, as the death toll from the powerful storm rose to 69.

Vehicles are seen in mud water as Typhoon Hagibis hit the city in Sano, Tochigi prefecture. Credit:AP

Two men had tried to enter the shelter in Taito ward in eastern Tokyo on Saturday as strong winds and driving rain lashed the capital, but they were turned away on the grounds that it was only for residents of the ward, Japanese media reported.

The Asahi Shimbun said that a 64-year-old man was asked to enter his name and address on a form when he sought entry to the shelter at 9am on Saturday. When he said he had an address only on the northern island of Hokkaido, he was told to leave, the newspaper reported.

The man said he spent the night under a plastic umbrella beneath the eaves of a building, according to the paper. Another homeless man was denied entry to the same shelter that afternoon, although other shelters in the city were reported to have allowed in the homeless.