KYODO NEWS - Oct 5, 2018 - 19:01 | All, Japan

Keisei Electric Railway Co. said Friday it suspended all services in and around Tokyo due to cable fires likely caused by typhoon-borne salt.

Several power cables caught fire possibly because of dried seawater on the cables. The railway operator believes the seawater was carried inland by Typhoon Trami which swept through Japan last weekend.

The operator based in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, canceled all its services connecting the capital with stations in Chiba and to Narita international airport.

Power outages occurred on some railway lines at 7:50 a.m. Friday, with cable fires reported at two locations at least.

Salt likely remained on the cables after the powerful typhoon, though it is rare for such salt deposits to cause power outage, according to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.

Salt water remaining on electrical wires also triggered a power outage in the town of Onjuku, Chiba. Sparks and abnormal noises from electric wires were also confirmed in Tokyo and neighboring Ibaraki, Kanagawa and Shizuoka prefectures, according to Tepco.

As Keisei first suffered a power outage on Wednesday and it suspended some services early Thursday morning, Keisei was inspecting equipment and removing salt from power cables.