Typhoon Mindulle makes direct hit on Tokyo; 2 killed, 29 injured

Typhoon Mindulle made a direct hit on Tokyo with heavy rain and strong winds Monday, killing at least two people and leaving more than two dozen injured.

The storm killed a 42-year-old man in Kitami City, Hokkaido, according to CNN.com. His body was discovered on the side of a flooded road, the report added, and his vehicle was found nearby.

In Sagamihara, a 58-year-old woman was found hanging onto a guard rail on a flooded roadway and was then swept away by the water, according to the Japan Times. She was rescued, but was unconscious and later died of her injuries, the report added.

Another 29 injuries have been blamed on the storm, the Japan Times also said.

Air traffic controllers temporarily abandon the control tower at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport after wind speeds reached 78 miles per hour, said a Transport Ministry official at the airport who would give only his surname, Matsumoto.

The tower had been shut down once before, because of shaking during the magnitude-9.0 earthquake that triggered a massive tsunami in March 2011, but this was the first time the tower had been closed because of a typhoon.

Narita shut down for about an hour, and hundreds of domestic flights were canceled at the city's other major airport.

Narita, which is located outside of Tokyo, said that 88 international and 34 domestic departures and arrivals had been canceled. More than 400 domestic flights were canceled to and from Tokyo's other major airport, Haneda.

Mindulle had sustained winds of 67 miles per hour Monday evening, down from 78 mph when it made landfall, and gusts of up to 100 mph. It was forecast to move north over the Tohoku region and reach Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Tuesday.

Japanese television showed scattered damage around the region. One house had lost much of its roof. Heavy rains have swollen rivers, and authorities warned of the possibility of flooding and landslides.

A train on a small commuter line in western Tokyo had to be evacuated after the earth under the tracks gave way, leaving the tracks, train, and overhead lines tilted, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported. No one was injured.

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