Environment     

Tornado kills one, injures 40 in Japan

Xinhua, May 7, 2012

• Tornado slashed two prefectures north of Japanese capital Tokyo on Sunday, killing a teenage boy and injuring around 40 others, local media reported.

  The bad weather also damaged some 500 houses in Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures. The thunderstorm smashed windows and blew away roofs of homes in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. A 14-year-old boy identified as Keisuke Suzuki died after being taken to hospital.

  Ibaraki Governor Masaru Hashimoto had asked the Self-Defense Forces to assist with disaster relief, Kyodo News reported.

  Bullet train services were disrupted due to the gust on Sunday, the last day of Japan's golden holiday week, according to local authorities. The week was marked by busy traffic across the country.

  The Japan Meteorological Agency issued warning to residents in central, eastern and northeastern Japan to brace for possible tornado Sunday morning.

Copyright © China.org.cn. All Rights Reserved