Tropical storm kills 50 in western Japan

Tropical storm Talas has left 50 people dead and 55 missing, mainly in western Japan. The large and slow-moving storm dumped record amounts of rain across central and western Japan over the weekend, Japanese (NHK WORLD) reported. As of Tuesday evening, at least 2,400 people are stranded in 32 communities in the three prefectures of Wakayama, Nara and Mie. The Self-Defense Forces have been mobilized to rescue thousands of people stranded in the worst-hit areas. In the three prefectures, more than 24,000 households have been left without power. The storm has also destroyed at least 93 houses in eight prefectures. The tropical storm has moved off to the Sea of Japan where it has been downgraded to a low-pressure system. But evacuation advisories were still in effect for about 17,000 households across the country, due to the lingering effects of the storm.