HAGIBIS: Death toll climbs to 73, damage uncovered in typhoon-hit Japan

TOKYO. KAZINFORM - Japanese rescuers raced against the clock Tuesday to locate 14 people still missing after a catastrophic typhoon over the weekend killed at least 73 others and paralyzed numerous areas with flooding, Kazinform has learnt from Keyodo News.

Those unaccounted for in the wake of Typhoon Hagibis, which brought record-breaking rainfall to huge swaths of the country, were tallied by Kyodo News based on information provided by authorities in each region.

Japan is still scrambling to get a complete picture of the damage. The infrastructure ministry said collapsed embankments at 73 locations along 52 rivers had been confirmed, but officials said the scale of damage remains unclear as they cannot reach some areas due to very high water levels.

The most powerful typhoon to hit Japan in decades also caused mudslides, and electricity and water outages in various parts of the country.

A total of 170 mudslides were reported in 19 of Japan's 47 prefectures, while nearly 10,000 homes had been hit by muddy floodwater, according to government officials.

In the central Japan city of Nagano, one of the hardest-hit areas, an embankment of the Chikuma River was breached, cutting off hundreds of people.

As people return home and start cleaning up, government officials urged them to wear masks and gloves, and use sanitizing agents to prevent infection.