At least 55 people were killed and 16 are missing after Typhoon Hagibis slammed Japan, with flooding covering large areas leaving people surrounded by water. Some half-a-million homes are without power.

The typhoon hit Japan’s northeast coast, killing at least 55 people in areas including the Chiba, Gunma, Kanagawa and Fukushima prefectures near Tokyo, according to local media. Some 150 people were injured.

Many areas throughout the region have been flooded, with waters reaching five meters in depth. Around 260 people are trapped in a nursing home in the city of Kawagoe City, some 50km northwest of Tokyo, with rescuers using boats to save them.

A railway bridge over the Chikuma River in Nagano Prefecture collapsed on Sunday morning.

Train operations have been suspended in many parts of the country due to flooding on the tracks.

Around half-a-million homes remain without power, while rescuers and residents are trying to remove debris after the typhoon raged overnight.

The storm, which the government said could be the strongest in 60 years, brought record-breaking rainfall, with some areas hit by 939.5mm of rainfall over 24 hours.

"Typhoon Hagibis makes landfall near Japan’s Izu Peninsula" https://t.co/QxR5M6WAKG — Ki (@Kia11on) October 13, 2019

The typhoon is expected to weaken and move off Japan’s mainland on Sunday afternoon. Flood warnings have been lifted for Tokyo, where a rugby match between Japan and Scotland is set to take place on Sunday.

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