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Bloomberg
Japan tackled rescue and cleanup operations after a powerful typhoon ripped across the country, causing major flooding and landslides and leaving at least 21 people dead and hundreds of thousands without power.
More than 160 people were injured and at least 16 were missing as many areas were hit by record amounts of rainfall and violent winds, according to national broadcaster NHK.
Japan has sent thousands of troops to fight floods and help stranded residents. At least 48 landslides and mudflows have been reported in 12 prefectures, and nine rivers burst their banks, Kyodo news reported, citing the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
The heavy rain destroyed river banks in central and northern Japan — most seriously the Chikuma River in Nagano prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. Houses were flooded in the area, with NHK showing footage of collapsed bridges and residents being rescued by helicopter from rooftops.
Typhoon Hagibis, the biggest storm to hit Japan in decades, moved away from the island by Sunday morning and was downgraded to a tropical storm, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
At its peak, Hagibis was packing winds of up to 252 kilometres (157 miles) per hour.